Loveless Childhood
by YoseiCosplay
Summary: Lucy is smart, kind, beautiful and all around good person. The only problem is she's the center of abuse and bullying. What is a girl to do when that bullying comes from the one person she used to trust with everything she had? (Trigger warning: Self harm, abuse and bullying)
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note:** Hey guys! Yosei Cosplay here! So, this is my first Fan Fiction story I've written. I just wanted to let everyone know that this story is on the darker side. So there is a trigger warning of abuse, self-harm, and bullying. So if anyone isn't able to handle these things, I would advise not to go any further.

Now, this story is somewhat based off of things that have happened when I was in high school. A lot of things are exaggerated but there are a few truths to this story for me. If anyone was interested in learning my story, feel free to message me. I also made a lot of the characters into older people, so the ages may be off compared to the anime. There is a lot of the under lying personality from the anime in all the characters, but also a lot of the stuff they do or say is OOC. Just keep that in mind.

I'll be posting a chapter every day or two. I'm pretty good at keeping up with my projects, but in case I'm not able to, I'll let everyone know when the next chapter will be available.

Summary: Lucy is smart, kind, beautiful and all around good person. The only problem is she's the center of abuse and bullying. The one person who is the cause of all this bullying? Well, none other than her old childhood friend, Sting.

Ages of the characters:

Lucy- 17  
Levy-17  
Juvia- 17  
Sting-18  
Rogue-18  
Minerva- 18  
Natsu- 18  
Gray- 18  
Gajeel- 18  
Wendy- 16  
Cana- 20  
Erza- 27  
Mira- 27

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, just this story. If I did, NaLu and Gruvia would not be a thing.

Chapter one:

Beep Beep Beep!

Smack.

Crash!

"Dammit," Lucy Heartfilia exclaims groggily. She reaches down to find the alarm clock she knocked over onto the floor. Grabbing it, she squints at the time with tired eyes. "7am already?" she groans, sitting up in her bed. She looks around to find her phone charging on the bedside table. Picking it up, Lucy saw her friend Levy McGarden had texted her saying she will be picking her up at 7:45am for school.

Lucy stands up and stretches, heading to the shower. She strips off her pajamas and hops into the shower. After washing her hair and the rest of her body, she steps out to dry herself off. Taking the same towel she used on her body, she towel dried her hair before blow-drying it. Doing so, Lucy glances at her body in her full length mirror. She runs her fingers up her thighs, stomach, arms, and shoulders. All scared from the damage she's done to herself and the abuse she's taken from her father.

Two years ago, her mother got sick. Very sick. They thought she was getting better, though. The doctor told them that she would be fine. Oh, was the doctor wrong. After her mother passed, Lucy's father fell into a depression. Trying to numb his pain, he turned to drinking. Unfortunately, her father already had an anger problem. But now it's been enhanced by the alcohol. Now a days, he either ignores Lucy or, even worse, takes his anger and frustration out of the one thing that reminds him of Layla.

Shaking her head, Lucy quickly exits the bathroom. She looks through her closet to find a pair of blacked ripped skinny jeans and a shirt with her favorite band logo, Ice Nine Kills. She also slips on a long sleeve purple sweater to hide her arms. Sitting at her vanity, she applies a thick layer of foundation to hide the dark bruise on her cheek from when her dad found out she was late getting home from class last night. A thing line of eyeliner was also applied and she threw her hair up into pigtails.

Looking at the clock, it read 7:40. Levy would be here in 5 minutes. Lucy slips on her purple converse, grabs her book bag and heads downstairs. She looks around the corner after reaching the bottom step and sees her dad passed out on the couch with a beer in hand. Sighing in relief, she quietly sneaks out the door and runs to the car Levy arrived in.

"Hey Lu!" exclaims her blue-haired friend. Levy had on a similar outfit Lucy did, except she wore green and black.

"Hey Levy. Loving the outfit!" Lucy smiles.

"Same goes for you," Levy winks. "So, are you ready for school?"

Lucy just stares at her. "Am I ever ready?" She scowls.

"Good point," Levy sighs.

Lucy and Levy are two of the least popular kids in the school. They've had to deal with bullying for the last year and a half. Now, at the ages of 17, they only have one more year of high school till they graduate and then they can leave this place for good.

In 10 minutes, they arrive at school. They two best friends look at each other and take a deep breath.

"Ready Lu?" Levy asks, holding out her hand.

"As ready as I'll ever be…" sighs Lucy, taking her friends hand and giving it a squeeze.

They step out of the car and walk towards the front doors of the school. They can already hear the nasty comments and the feel of all the scowls directed at the two of them. Keep their heads down, the two best friends head to their shared locker. Lucy opens the locker to retrieve their books and hands levy hers as she takes her own. Suddenly a hand knocks her books out of her hands as she hears laughing.

"Hey blondie, did ya miss me?"

Lucy stiffens, knowing that voice. She slowly turns around to come face to face with her tormenter all throughout high school.

"S-sting."


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note:** Hey guys! Thanks for viewing my first chapter and thank you for the followers! Here is Chapter 2 as I promised!

 _Italicized writing is going to indicate thoughts._

Also, it might seem weird for Erza to be a teacher, but just remember that some of these characters are not going to be the ages they are in the anime.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I still do not own Fairy Tail. ~Sad face~

 **Chapter 2**

 _'It's Sting! Oh no…'_

Lucy backs into the lockers and grabs Levy's hand has she is also backed up by Sting's friend, Rogue Cheney. Both girls are shaking, as Sting's face gets close to Lucy's.

"Hey blondie, how was your weekend? Did you finish my homework like I told you to?" He smirks.

Lucy's eyes go wide. She completely forgot about that. Her father was on a rampage this weekend, as her mother's death was almost upon us.

"I-I'm sorry, S-sting. I-I wasn't able t-to…" Lucy squeaks out.

Sting's smirk turns into a scowl and he leans away from Lucy. "You weren't able to, huh?" He slams his fist into the locker next to her head, denting it. Sting looks behind him to his friends. "Juvia, Minerva, please take care of this emo trash for me." He looks back at his victim. "And make sure she knows who she needs to listen to from now on." He smirks and winks at Lucy as her eyes go wide. Next to her, Levy hands Rogue his homework as he pats her head.

"Yukino, why not give this puppy her next homework assignment for me?" Yukino hands Levy Rogue's homework for tomorrow as she gives an apologetic look.

Looking back to the people in front of her, Lucy yelps as Juvia and Minerva grab each arm and drag her into the bathroom. They throw her against the opposite wall as Lucy groans in pain. The two girls cross their arms.

"How dare you disobey Sting-sama." Juvia growls as she kicks Lucy in the shin.

"This should teach you where to stand in this world." Minerva slaps Lucy across the face, right where her other bruise currently resides.

One last kick to the stomach to satisfy themselves as they throw down a bunch of papers. "Sting-sama's homework for the night. Make sure to get it done. He expects it in the morning." The two girls walk out of the bathroom.

Once they're gone, Lucy grabs the papers and runs/limps to the bathroom stall and locks herself in, not being able to hold back her tears anymore.

She remembers a time when Sting wasn't like this. They used to be best friends actually. The two have known each other since they were kids. They spent all their time together. And because they were inseparable, Lucy started falling in love with Sting. However, once Jr High hit, they started growing apart more and more. Sting became one of the popular kids, everyone wanted to either be him or be within his friend circle. While Lucy, on the other hand, became a huge target for bullies. All because she loved reading, writing, and anything to do with astrology.

Once High School hit, everything came crashing down for Lucy. Sting started dating Minerva, one of the meanest girls in existence. It tore Lucy's heart right out of her chest. Minerva, knowing how close Sting and Lucy used to be, completely turned Sting against her. The only person who saw through her bullshit was Levy. She's always been there for Lucy no matter what. And on top of all that, her mother passed away in the middle of freshman year, which Sting doesn't know. Lucy just wished Sting could remember how they used to be. But now he's turned into her biggest enemy. Unfortunately, her love never faded.

"Lu, are you okay?" she heard Levy's voice ask quietly.

Lucy snapped out of her thoughts and quickly wipes her eyes. "Yeah don't worry, Levy. This really wasn't that bad." She steps out of the stall as Levy runs to hug her.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy. I couldn't do anything to help…" Levy sighs and gives her a sad look.

"No, don't apologize. I wouldn't want you to get hurt either." Lucy tries to reassure her.

"I don't understand. Why do they do this to us…" Levy blushes, trying not to cry.

"I have no idea, Levy. I have no idea what we've done to deserve this." Lucy sighs.

The bell rings to signal the start of first period. Together, the girls head to their first period class with Mrs. Erza.

 _'I can already feel this is going to be a long day.'_ Lucy sighs.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:** Hey guys! I'm giving you chapter 3 today. It's kind of a really short chapter unfortunately. I didn't realize how short it actually was till I re-read it. I tried to see if I can combine a little of my 4th chapter with it to make it longer but to me, it works better this way.

Stalightrose9: I really appreciate the review. It defiantly made my morning when I woke up. I just really enjoy writing so that's why I'm posting every day. I also may make the story a bit longer because of that. But seriously, thank you!

Here we go guys! Chapter 3!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Although I do have this sick ass Fairy Tail tattoo I DO own. So I guess that's close enough.

Chapter 3

First period has already started by the time Lucy and Levy arrived at the classroom. So walking in late caused all eyes to look at them.

 _Like we need any more reason for them to stare at us._ Lucy groans.

"Nice of you two to join us, girls", Erza states. She could tell with just one look at them, it happened again. She sighs and nods her head towards the class. "Just please try your best to not be late again. Take your seats."

Both girls nod gratefully and head to their seats next to each is one of Lucy's favorite teachers. She can always tell when something is wrong. As Lucy and Levy take their seats, they can see Sting and Rogue staring at them and smirking. Since the seats are alphabetical order by first name, Lucy and Levy and next to each other, as are Sting and Rogue, but a few rows away.

Sting winks at Lucy who turns red and then faces the front of the classroom. Just then, a crumpled up paper hits her in the head, landing on her desk. She opens the paper, reading what it says.

' _Hey Blondie. I hope you liked my little gift to you from  
Juvia and Minerva. You better listen and do my homework this time  
or else the punishment will be worse. Much worse.'  
~Sting_

Lucy crumples the paper back up, trembling, trying not to let the tears fall. She glances over at Levy who seemed to have gotten a similar paper ball thrown at her. Levy just looks at Lucy through her bangs. They exchange looks of fear as they hear Sting, Rogue and their lackeys laughing behind them.

"Alright class, shut your mouths. Time to actually learn something." As Erza starts her lecture, Lucy and Levy are taking notes, trying to concentrate.

"Psst Blondie." Sting whispers loudly. Lucy tries to ignore him as she continues to take her notes. "Hey! Did you hear me?" Sting says a little louder.

"Sting! Keep your mouth shut. Or do I have to send you to Makarov's office again?" Erza snaps at him.

Sting scowls and groans. Lucy glances back just for a second, but soon regrets doing so. Sting gives her a look that could kill as he brings his finger across his throat. Lucy gulps and sinks lower into her chair, dreading what is going to happen later. And when.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** I feel really bad how short that last chapter was so I'm going to post the 4th one. I'm kinda proud of this one anyway.

By the way, I will be adding Natsu, Gray and some of the others in the story, I promise. I have ideas for them. So don't worry!

Anyway, here goes!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 4

As class is finishing up, Lucy gathers up her stuff and tries to leave as fast as she can before Sting can do anything.

"Lucy, can I please speak to you before you leave?" Erza asks.

 _Oh no…_ Lucy groans

She waits in her seat as the rest of the class piles out of the room. Sting looks back at Lucy and smirks. She closes her eyes and tries to calm herself down.

"Lu? Do you want me to wait for you?"

"It's alright Levy. I don't want you to have to be late. I'll see you next period."

Levy gives Lucy and unsure look, but nods and runs out of the room to her next class before Rogue could get anywhere near her.

"What do you need, Mrs. Erza?" Lucy asks walking to her desk.

Erza looks directly at her for a moment before she says, "Lucy, I know you've been having some trouble with the other students."

Lucy tightens her grip on her books. "It's alright, Mrs. Erza. Everything is fine. I'm fine."

Mrs. Erza sighs, "There's not much I can do for you if you won't tell me what exactly is going on." She frowns.

Lucy smiles, the smile not reaching her eyes, "It's nothing I can't handle."

Erza looks unsure but gives a small smile. "You're one of the strongest people I know, Lucy. Please, come to me if you ever need my help. I'm always here."

Lucy smiles and nods, "Thank you, Mrs. Erza. I'll keep that in mind."

Lucy bows and heads to the door. She leaves the room and notices the halls empty, everyone being in their next class. Looking around, she quickly makes her way to her next period. She almost makes it when suddenly she is thrown up against the wall, hitting her head in the process.

Feeling dizzy and a throbbing headache, she looks and yelps. The person who slammed her was, of course, Sting.

"Hey Blondie, why did you have to go and make me look bad in class?" Sting snears, his arm pushing her up the wall by her neck and his face dangerously close to her face.

"I-I didn't mean to," Lucy stammers out, her face turning bright red from how close their faces are.

Sting notices this and smirks. "Why is your face turning red? What, do you like me or something?" Sting laughs.

Lucy's eyes go wide. The last thing she needs is for Sting finding out what she feels for him. She'd be the laughing stock of the school and her life would officially be over.

"N-no Why would you t-think that?" Lucy squeaks. Sting looks at her closely, while she's trying to reign in her blushing face.

"Tch, Whatever, Blondie. Just stay away from me for the rest of the damn day." Sting says in a low voice.

Lucy nods and gasps in relief as Sting lets go of her neck. With his back turned to her she states, "Don't forget my homework for tomorrow." With that, he walks away.

 _'Was it just me or did he let me off a little too easy? And why did he look angrier than before?_ Lucy stands up and brushes herself off. _Whatever. I don't care how much I love him. He's still an ass face.'_ Lucy groans holding her head and proceeds to her next class.

The rest of the day went by pretty smoothly, weirdly. There were the usual comments and looks but nothing bigger than that. Sting and the rest of his group just glared the rest of the day.

The final bell rang signaling the end of the day. Grabbing Levy's had, Lucy ran/dragged Levy out of the building like her life depended on it. (Which to her, it did). Levy noticed something was wrong, as Lucy was pretty quiet the rest of the day, but she didn't push the subject.

"Hey Lu, did you want to come over?" Levy looked hopeful.

"You know I would get in so much trouble with father…" Lucy frowns.

Levy gives her a sad look. "It's alright, I understand. Maybe tomorrow?"

Lucy looks doubtful but nods, "Maybe. It's usually the day he gets home late so I'll see what I can do and let you know."

Levy accepted the answer, to Lucy's relief. They begin their walk home, talking about the basic girl stuff. Lucy's mind, however, was somewhere else.

Yes, Levy does know about Lucy's home life. She's the only one who does. She has tried many times to get Lucy to leave or to tell someone what's going on, but she always just gave a sad look. Since her mother died, Lucy's afraid to leave her dad alone. He is all she has left for family. Even thought he's an abusive drunk, he's still her father.

At least, that's what she tells herself.

As they reach Lucy's house, she gives Levy a quick hug. "Just be careful, Lu. Call me if you need anything please."

"Thanks Levy. I'll be okay." Lucy says her goodbyes and takes a deep breath. _At least I hope I will._

Lucy heads inside her house. Her father doesn't seem to be around, so Lucy makes a bee-line for her room.

"HOOOLD IT, YYYOUUUNG LAADY!"

 _Shit. I knew this was too good to be true._ Lucy pauses in the middle of the stair case and slowly turns around. _And of course he's drunk, what else is new._ Lucy groans.

"Wheere weeere yyyou? Trrramping around like a no goooood daughteeer?" He slurs out.

Lucy flinches at his words. "No father, I just got back from school. You should know that." _Shit why did I just say it like that?!_

"AAARE YOU TAALKING BACK TO ME YOOUNG LADYYY?" He sways up the stairs and gets in her face. She can smell the alcohol on his breath.

"No father I reall-" SMACK!

She feels a hand connect to her cheek. The same cheek that was hit by him yesterday and by Minerva today. Lucy groans as she tries to sit up. Her dad grabs onto her hair and yanks her head back. "I'll teach you not to talk back to your father."

He yanks her head and pulls her down the stairs by her hair. He slaps her again, causing her to wince. Trying to stand up was a bad idea. Her father slammed his foot into her stomach. Lucy wheezed, losing her ability to breathe at that moment and doubled over in pain.

"Now go to your room. Ungreatful tramp." Her father spits at her before giving one last kick and walks away with his beer in hand.

Lucy attemps to stand but falls back to her hands and knees, still trying to breathe. She tries a few more times and is able to walk (more like limp. Barely.) up the stairs with her legs shaking.

She barely makes it to her room before collapsing onto her bed, wincing in pain. She tries not to cry but that wasn't working too well. She flips herself onto her back and reaches into her bedside table drawr. Finding what she's looking for, she takes the cold metal out of her drawr and rolls up her sleeves. Once the blade touches down on her skin, she sharply pulls it across her wrist, watching as the beads of blood start to form. She sighs in relief. Doing it a few more times on her wrist, she switchs over to her shoulder, feeling the pain. Lucy lays back onto her bed and drops the razor onto the floor, and just lays there. Closing her eyes, she lets the small amounts of blood flow, feeling the sweet sweet release. Feeling the stress and pain flow out of her, before cleaning and bandaging up her cuts. Once she's done, she attempts to change out of her clothes into pajamas, but it was to no avail. It's too painful. She gives up and just lays on her bed, thinking to herself before she falls into a deep sleep.

 _'What did I ever do to deserve any of this?'_


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:** Hey guys! So I know a few of you are wondering when I'm going to be introducing some of the other characters in the anime. Well, that's what you're about to get.

Thanks for the support guys! Here's chapter 5.

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever (to my dismay) own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 5:

Lucy sits at her desk, scribbling on her notebook as she waits for class to start. She winces as she breathes. Getting dressed this morning didn't go so well. There were bruises on every inch of her body. Not only that, she had to work hard just to re-bandage her cuts and cover them the best she could. Hell, even her breathing was a chore. The kick to her stomach was what caused the most pain. Lucy has been trying her best not to let it be obvious to the people around her. Unfortunately, Levy knew her way too well.

"Lu, he did it again, didn't he…" Levy turns to her with a frown.

"It's alright. I've dealt with worse. I'll be fine in a few days," Lucy wheezes out. Man, did it hurt to just do, well, anything.

Before Levy could respond, the door to the classroom opened. Mrs. Erza walks in, followed by three boys Lucy has never seen before.

"Alright class, shut it! We have three new students joining us today in class." She turns to the three boys. "Please state your name, age and some kind of 'fun fact'." Mrs. Erza made a face at the last two words.

The first boy that stepped forward was fairly tall and long black spiky hair. Looking closer at his face, Lucy could see he had multiple piercings.

"Yo. The name's Gajeel Redfox. I'm 18. Uhh…what else… Oh yeah. I'm going to be studying at my dad's iron workshop to eventually take over the business. Gihi." He glances up over the class and his eyes land on Levy. He smirks and wiggles his eyebrows, making Levy blush.

' _Did I just hear a growl behind me?'_

The next boy to step forward had raven black hair. He wore a chain around his neck with a cross at the end. He also wore a long white coat.

"Gray Fullbuster. I'm 18 as well. Fun fact, my favorite season is winter. I prefer the cold." He has the most disinterested look on his face.

' _Is that Juvia making that god-awful noise back there? '_

 **Thump!**

' _Aaaaaand she fainted.'_

"Yeah, you also have a weird habit of randomly stripping." The last boy who has yet to introduce himself smirks. He had pink spiky hair and wore a scarf around his neck that strangely resembled dragon scales.

"Shut it, flames-for-brains. Just get on with it already." The boy named Gray shot back.

The pink-haired boy steps forward. "Hey guys! Natsu Dragneel is the name. 18. Fun fact about me, I love spicy food and just about anything hot!" He looks straight at Lucy and grins a big goofy (but adorable) grin. She blushes and looks down at her desk.

' _Damn, did I just hear another growl? Is someone sick or something?'_

"Alright boys, find some empty seats. We'll have to rearrange at a different point in time," Erza says finally as she starts writing on the blackboard.

There conveniently happens to be two desks open on either side of Lucy and Levy and one in front. The pink haired boy, Natsu, sat by Lucy. The pierced face boy, Gajeel, sat by Levy, leaving the front seat to Gray. The boys turn to the girls.

"Hey! What are your names?" Natsu smiles at Lucy.

"H-hi. I'm Lucy Heartfilia and this is my friend Levy McGarden," as she gestures to her blued-haired companion.

"Nice to meet you both! You already know our names. We just moved here." Natsu exclaimes.

"Yeah, what he said." Gajeel nods. "Would you girls care to show us around, seeing as it's our first day and all."

Lucy and Levy looked at each other in shock. "A-are you sure you want US to show you around?" Levy says quietly.

Gray turns around to face the group. "Yeah, why not?"

Lucy makes a face. "Well, ya see, weeeee aren't exactly what you would call… 'popular' at this school." She says in a hushed voice.

' _Or anywhere for that matter.'_

The three boys just looked at each other and laughed. "The last thing we care about is 'popularity'. As long as you're a kind hearted person with a great personality, doesn't matter to us where you stand in the social ladder." Natsu showing his trade-mark grin.

Lucy and Levy look at each other in surprise. Then, looking at the boys, they smile. "We would be happy to show you guys around," Levy says in a happier tone. All three boys smile and give their thanks. With that, they get through the rest of the class fairly smoothly.

At the end of the class, Lucy, Levy and the three boys make their way to their next class. As they're walking and just casually talking, they're stopped by, surprise surprise, Sting and Rogue, along with their groupies.

"Well well well. Looks like blondie and bookworm here made themselves some 'friends'." Sting smirks and turns to Lucy with the grin widening. "Hey blondie, got something for me?" He holds out his hand as Lucy hands him the homework with trembling hands. "Congratulations, you actually weren't useless for once." Lucy looks down.

Sting turns to the group accompanying the two girls. "Since it's your first day, I'll let you guys in on a little secret. These two, here, are the last people you want to be seen with. Come chill with us, if you know what's good for you. By the end of the day, everyone will either want to be you or be in your friend circle."

Natsu just stands there with a blank look on his face. He turns to Gray and Gajeel, giving a nod like they're having their own silent conversation. Natsu turns back to the smirking Sting.

"Yeeeah, I don't think so. We can find our own friends, thanks. And I'm 100% certain that my friends here agree with me. You know, the fact that we wouldn't want to be seen around with ass-hats like you guys." He says with a dead straight face, putting his arm protectively around Lucy.

Lucy and Levy gasp and cautiously glance over at Sting. Oh crap. They've never seen him look so pissed off. But there was also something else in his eyes. Lucy couldn't put her finger on it. "Fine then. But be warned, you three just dug your own graves for the rest of high school." He says through gritted teeth. Rogue didn't look much better.

Gajeel and Gray come up next to the girls, putting their arms protectively around the two girl's shoulders as well.

"I think we'll be alright," Gajeel gives Levy a squeeze on her shoulder.

"Now, if you don't mind, we had something actually important to do with our time," Gray sneers at the group.

Sting looked so angry, Lucy thought he could literally explode at any minute. With one last glare that could freeze hell, the group of bullies stomp down the hall to their next class.

Lucy and Levy are frozen in pure shock. "Why did you guys just do that?" Levy asks, confused. And a little frightened.

Gajeel shrugs, "We had people like that back at our old school. It's not cool to treat people like shit, why would we want to be a part of that?"

Lucy glances and Natsu and Gray. "You three know you just signed your death wish, right?"

Natsu just grins and gives a thumbs up. "We really don't care. We're your friends now."

Lucy and Levy turned to each other and gave each other looks and then a simile. A genuine smile. "Thanks guys," Levy says smiling.

The group of five take their leave, as the girls show the three boys around the school. Not without stares from the other students, of course. But what does that matter right now.

' _Maybe things are starting to look up'_ Lucy smiles to herself. _' But Sting seemed a little weirder than normal. Did he look slightly...hurt?_ Lucy shakes her head. _'Maybe I'm just imagining things.'_

"Hey, did anybody else notice the creepy blued haired chick in that group staring at me? I could have almost sworn I heard something about 'Gray-sama'…"


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors note:** Hey guys! I just wanted to say thanks for the love! So I just wanted to say. I've been battling depression since 8th grade. (I'll be 23 in 20 days) So it's been awhile. Getting back to writing and sharing my stories has really been helping. I'm loving this!

Fairyfan8: Thank you! I promised I wouldn't leave some of the bigger characters out ;)

OppositesExist: Yeah, that's pretty much what I've been thinking. I also just don't think her and Gray work together personally. Their personalities are completely different. They usually say opposites attract but it just doesn't work to me.

InThisMoment: Thank you! Well, here's the next chapter for you! ;P

(I apologize if this chapter is a little on the short side)

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Poop.

Chapter 6:

 _'Man, how do I always get myself into these situations?'_

Lucy winces as she, yet again, was backed up against the wall by Sting. Except this time, Levy was right next to her with Rogue.

"So, where are your 'big tough' friends, huh? Not here for you to hide behind I see," Rogue sneers at Levy.

"T-they went t-to class," Levy squeaks out.

Sting pulls on Lucy's pigtail. Unfortunately, that happened to be where her dad pulled her down the stairs the other night. And that Sting is pressing up against the shoulder where she cut really wasn't helping.

"First, you humiliate me in front of the class yesterday. And now, I was humiliated in front of the whole school?!" Sting tugs her hair again, making her yelp in pain.

"You two deserve to be alone for the rest of your lives. To wallow in your own misery," Rogue says through gritted teeth.

' _What's up with his eyes? Why are they looking at me like that? It's not normal for him.'_ Levy thinks.

The two both boys grab each girl by the arms and force them into a nearby janitors closet. Throwing them against the wall, Sting smirks while Rogue just glares. "You two need to…think about what you've done." Laughing, they closed the door and locked it. The two friends sit in the dark, trembling and not knowing what to do.

"How are we going to get out of this one?" Levy asks quietly.

"This time, I'm not really sure," Lucy sighs, rubbing her sore shoulder. The two sat in silence for a little while, trying to control their tears and figure out what to do.

"I don't care how much we love them. Sting and Rogue are assholes. I seriously don't understand what their problem is," Lucy states angel.

"You're telling me. I blame Minerva mostly. They weren't like this before," Levy says annoyed.

Lucy stares at Levy through the darkness. "I'm not sure if that's the entire issue, that would be a pretty stupid reason. There has to be more, not that it would be any excuse to do these things to us. It just seems that way because it was around the time she showed up. But, there's nothing we can do about it now. And there is no way her and Sting are breaking up anytime soon anyway," Lucy gets even more angry but with a hint of heartbreak in her voice.

"You know, maybe we should try to get to know the boys a little more. Go out, have fun. We can see how it goes. They're really nice," Levy suggests.

Lucy thinks about it for a second. "Maybe we could but if it doesn't work out, I don't want to get their hopes up. I don't want to hurt them; they've been so nice to us."

"Well, let's give it a shot. We could try a double date. And just talk to them, be honest with them and maybe they'll understand?"

Lucy gives in. "Aright let's give it a try. Natsu does seem like a nice guy. And he IS kind of cute." Lucy giggles. And then she remembers something. "That requires us getting out of here first." Lucy groans.

Time passes as the girls talk. They can hear students going to and from class. They've tried to yell for help, but to no avail, nobody cares enough to help them. By now, the girls are growing tired and drift off. About an hour later, Lucy wakes up to hear someone yelling her name.

"What the…" Lucy shakes Levy awake as the yelling gets closer.

"What's going on," Levy asks groggily.

"I…I think someone is looking for us?" Lucy says confused.

Levy gives Lucy a strange look. "And why would anyone want to do that?"

Levy hears her name being called as well. It's right outside the door. Lucy crawls over to the door and bangs on it. "We're in here!"

They here footsteps getting closer to the door. Then the door handle rattles. "Damnit, the doors are locked." The voice growls.

"Step aside, I got this. Gihi." A low gruff voice says. The door knob starts rattling again, but it sounds like something is being inserted in the lock.

"Hurry up, metal hear!" A third voice snaps.

"Keep your pants on, icicle butt," the voice shoots back. The rattling stops for a second. "No, seriously, put your pants back on."

The second voice yelps. "Not again." The girls look at each other and giggle.

The door handle clicks. "Ha, got it."

The voices on the other side of the door turn the knob and pushe the door in. They see the two girls sitting on the floor of the closet.

"Lucy? Levy? What the hell are the two of you doing in here?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** Hey again! So I wanted to thank you guys for the support. I'm weird when it comes to my writing and other things when I do any type of art. So thanks for the understanding! And special thank you to stalightrose9 and fairyfan8 for the encouraging reviews. I really appreciate it!

Anyway, time for chapter 7!

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, yeah, we all know I don't own Fairy Tail. Just this story.

Chapter 7:

"Uhh, hey guys." Lucy sweat-drops.

The three boys look at them a little weird. "We've been looking for you everywhere. School is over. What happened to you two?" Gray tilts his head.

Lucy and Levy looked at each other. "Well…" Levy starts.

Natsu holds up his hand. "Let me guess. Sting and Rogue happened."

The two girls nod and look down. Natsu clenches his fists so hard, you can almost picture them bursting into flames. He glares at the images of the two bullies in his head. "When I get my hands on those two…"

Lucy shakes her head. "No, please, just leave it. I don't want to cause anymore issues with them than what has already happened."

Gajeel looks like she just grew a second head. "Are you kidding me?! They locked the two of you in a closet! Who knows what could have happened to you."

Levy looks at Gajeel sternly. "It really wasn't that bad. Just, don't give them a reason to do it again? Please?" She pleads.

The three boys looked at them, looked at each other, and then back at the two girls. Gray speaks up. "Fine. But if they EVER do something like this again, they'll be sorry they ever even considered it." He cracks his knuckles.

The two friends sigh in relief. The boys help them up and out of the closet. "We can walk you guys home?" Natsu asks the two.

"We wouldn't want to impose," Lucy holds up her hands.

"Nah we don't mind," Gajeel puts his arm on Levy's head. "Let's go, shrimp." Levy puffs out her cheeks and huffs, but blushes at the nickname.\

The group walks in silence at first but they eventually start talking about school and work and things of that sort. Natsu looks at Lucy. "So, hey, I was wondering if you wanted to go out somewhere tomorrow night. Gajeel wanted to invite Levy along as well."

Lucy glances at Gray. "What about Gray, thought?"

"Nah, it's all good. I have work tomorrow night anyway," Gray waves his hand.

"Oh? What do you do?" Levy asks curiously.

"Ice princess, here, drives one of those things that make the ice rinks smooth," Natsu laughs.

"Oi, it's called a Zamboni, Dragon breath," Gray rolls his eyes.

Lucy and Levy look at each other and giggles. "Then yeah, that's fine. We know the perfect bake shop we could go to," Lucy smiles.

"Sound good to me! We'll see you both tomorrow!" Natsu winks as they drop of Lucy and Levy at Levy's house. They wave and head home to their houses.

Levy's smile fades a little. "Do you think this is a good idea, Lu? Going out with them?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Lucy tilts her head.

"Well, for one, your father…"

Lucy groans and face-palms. "Crap, I forgot about that. I'll just have to sneak out and hope for the best." She shrugs.

Levy sighs as they enter her house. It was very quiet and very clean. The complete opposite of Lucy's house. However, Levy's parents are never home, where as Lucy's dad never really leaves. Or cleans. Or do anything, for that matter. Levy's parent's run a pretty big publishing company, so they're always busy. They never have any time for Levy. Sometimes they even forget they have a daughter all together. While they have different home lives, they both feel the same way when they get home after school.

The two girls head up to Levy's room. Lucy lays down on her bed while Levy puts on music. She lays next to Lucy as they both close their eyes. Just for a moment, they want to pretend they're happy. Just for a moment, they want to pretend like everything in their lives is perfect.

"Is it just me, or did Rogue seem…sad today?" Levy breaks the silence. "No… maybe that's the wrong word. But he did seem weirder than normal."

Lucy looks over at her friend. "Hm, I've been noticing that too with Sting. I wonder what's going on with them. They're hard to read at times."

"Maybe they're trying to change for the better?" Levy wonders.

Lucy scoffs, "I admit they're acting weirder than normal, but I highly doubt that is one of the reasons."

Levy sighs. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I can hope, can't I?"

Lucy gives a small, but quiet, laugh. "You and me, both. Maybe it'll happen. Some day."

They both close their eyes again and just lay there listening to the next song. They stay quiet till the end of the next song.

"I can't wait till we get out of this place," Lucy breaks the silence yet again.

Levy nods, with her eyes still closed. "Yeah it'll be nice to start new, where nobody knows who we are." Both girls sigh and drift off, not having a care in the world.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! I just wanted to apologize for not being able to update that past two days. I had more to do than I thought. Thursday I had Pokémon Go/Finding Halloween stuff plans in the morning with a friend and then I had work at night till late. And then I started work again yesterday morning at 8am and then had plans after work yesterday so it's been a bit crazy.

Here is the next chapter! And thank you for all the support.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 8:

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Smack

Crash!

"I've really got to stop doing that," Lucy groans once again fishing for her alarm clock.

Lucy wakes up feel extra sore. Last night, she had lost track of time at Levy's.

 _ **Flashback:**_

 _Lucy says goodbye to Levy and races out the door. She didn't realize how late it was and started to panic, thinking her dad was still awake. Once she reached her house, she went around back to try and scale the vines up the side of the house. It took her a few minutes to be able to grab on and not fall, but was able to eventually. Quietly, she enters her room through the window. So far, nothing has gone wrong. She slowly opens her bedroom door and takes a peek down the stairs. She sighs in relief at the sight of him passed out on the couch._

 _ **End of Flashback.**_

Lucy gets out of bed and gets dressed for school. She's hoping today will be better than yesterday. The last thing she needs is to spend school locked in another closet. Hearing Levy's car horn, she quickly grabs her things and exits her room. Her father is nowhere to be found.

' _Probably at the liquor store again.'_ Lucy sighs, walking out her front door.

"Hey Lu! Ready for school today? I have a super good feeling about today!" Levy exclaims weirdly excited _._

Lucy stares at her confused. "Excuse me?"

Levy's excited face turns neutral. "I was totally joking."

"Ha. You're funny." Lucy deadpans.

The girls stare at each other for a minute and start laughing, pulling away from Lucy's house.

"Anyway, I'm kind of excited and kind of nervous about meeting up at the bakery café later with the guys," Levy speaks up.

Lucy shrugs. "I think it'll be okay. There should be nothing to really worry about." A little more silence follows.

Levy glances at Lucy. "Hey, are you going to the cemetery later?"

Lucy's face drops and a frown appears. "Yeah, I was going to go after we meet up with the guys. If it doesn't go so late."

Levy nods. "I'll make we end at a good time so you have time with your mother."

Lucy nods, half listening. Today is the anniversary off her mother's death. That's why her father is at the liquor store. He's stocking up for today. He doesn't visit her at the cemetery anymore, so it's the only time Lucy truly has time to herself. It's one of the only things keeping her sane.

The car stops, bringing her back to reality. Both girls take a deep breath and step out of the car. As they're walking in, they hear their names being called. Both girls turn around.

"Natsu, Gray, Gajeel. How's it going?" Levy waves.

"Hey guys," Lucy half smiles to them.

All three boys smile at the two girls and share their own greetings.

"How are you two feeling today?" Gray asks remembering the closet incident from yesterday.

Lucy waves her had. "We're fine, just like we said yesterday."

Natsu doesn't look convinced. "You two aren't bothered by it at all?"

Levy shrugs. "I mean, it does. But there's not much that we can do about it. Nither of our parents care enough to try to stop it. And, while the principal does what he can, Sting's parents are on the school board. He gets a slap on the wrist at most."

Lucy adds on. "So we just stopped telling someone when something happens. It causes more stress than it does to fix anything. What's the point in talking to a teacher when nothing gets done about it?"

"'Bullying is a rite of passage in high school' they say," Levy twists her face in disgust. "It's all BS, but what can we do." ( **A/N:** I've actually had this said to be before word by word.)

The three boys looked at each other. "Well, now you both have us to protect you. Gihi," Gajeel grins.

Levy and Lucy exchange looks. "Thanks but we mostly need friends right now." They smile back.

The group of friends walk into the school, just talking about random things. Lucy and Levy, though, still being who they are, are getting looks and whispers behind their backs. This time, however, the guys were there to give the looks right back. They didn't understand how two girls as kind, funny and cute as these two are could be bullied like they do.

On their way to class, the girls spot Sting and Rogue. Lucy and Levy stop as their eyes grow wide. The three boys look for what caught their attention and followed their line of sight. Noticing Sting and Rogue, the three boys stiffen and are on their guard, in case something happens.

Although, what happened next was not what any of them had expected. Instead of the two bullies coming up to the group, they did the opposite. With no more than a scowl at the group, Sting and Rogue turn around and head towards their next class, quieter than normal.

"Well, that was unusual." Lucy stated confused.

"Why? They probably saw us with you and got scared," Natsu said with a grin.

Levy shakes her head. "I don't think that was it. They're not ones to just get 'scared' by others like that."

Gajeel and Gray shrug. "Let's just count our blessings and get to class before we're late. There's no point in overthinking about it now." Gray herds the group into the classroom.

The group of five friends takes their seats as Erza starts the first period class. Lucy is quietly taking notes, trying to pay attention, when a note lands on her desk. She looks at it strangely before opening it.

' _I can't wait to hang out  
with you later today._

 _~Natsu'_

Lucy smiles at the boy, who gives her his signature grin and thumbs up. She giggles and looks over at Levy who received a similar note from Gajeel. Both girls are giggling before they get a ' _Shh!'_ from Gray who's turned around in his chair. He gives them all a look before turning back around. Natsu decided to have some fun and puts a bit of paper in his mouth. He chews and forms it with his tongue before putting a straw to his lips and blowing it at Gray. The girls are trying so hard not to laugh as Gray gets a tick mark on his head.

In the back of the classroom, there are a certain two brooding boys.

"Hey, Sting." Minerva tries to get his attention, but it was seemingly elsewhere. She follows his line of glaring to Lucy and her group of friends. "Sting!" She says a little louder.

"What do you want." He grunts, his eyes not leaving a certain blonde.

"Am I still coming over after class?" She tries to smile sweetly at him.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." He says without batting an eye.

She scowls and looks back over at Lucy.

' _Sting has been acting weird ever since blondie and her blue-haired freaky friend decided to be-friend the new guys.'_ She glares at the back of Lucy's head. _'I've got to do something about her once and for all.'_

She smirks. Suddenly getting an idea. She looks over at Rogue to ask him for help, but notices his face looking strangely similar to Stings. Minerva looks around for Juvia and sees her in a corner, also staring at the group, but in a different way.

' _Well, Rogue won't be any help. And Juvia has a weird thing for that stripping freak so she's out too.'_ She shrugs and smirks evilly. ' _Guess I'm on my own.'_


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note:** Alrighty guys! I'm uploading my next chapter right now. I would have gotten it done sooner but things were pretty crazy this weekend. So I apologize for not being up to date sooner. So, I'm making this chapter a bit longer as an apology. Thanks for sticking with me everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, just this story.

Chapter 9:

The rest of the day way too smoothly. Lucy leans over to whisper to Levy. "Does it seem weird that neither Sting nor Rogue have said or done ANYTHING all day?" Lucy whispers.

Levy nods. "A little. But I would take what we can get. It's been awhile since they've left us alone like this."

Lucy thinks about this for a moment. "Yeah, you've got a good point." Lucy nods just as the bell rings, signaling the end of the school day.

Both girls get up to leave. As they head for the door, Lucy bumps into someone. "Oh I'm so-" "Hey! Watch whe-" Both people stop in mid-sentence realizing who they bumped into.

Sting looks down at Lucy. "Oh. Just, watch where you walk, blondie." He mutters quietly and glares.

"Um, yeah. Sorry Sting." Lucy cocks her head to the side as Sting walks away, oddly quiet.

Lucy looks at Levy. "Yeah, something is officially going on with him."

Levy nods looking just as confused as Lucy. Before they could say anything else about it, Gajeel, Gray and Natsu come up to them. "Ready to get going?" Natsu asks excited.

"We sure are." Lucy smiles. The five of them head out of the school.

"Well, I should be heading to work," Gray says, looking around uncomfortably. "First, I need to ask. Some blue haired chick has been following me around. I don't think she realizes that I've noticed. Who is she?"

Both girls look around, noticing a blue hat sticking out the top of some nearby bushes. "Oh, that's Juvia. Yeah, she's a little on the stranger side." Levy laughs uncomfortably.

Gray raises an eyebrow but nods. "Alright then. I'll see you guys later." He waves and starts in another direction. The group hears some rustling of bushes and another set of footsteps head toward Gray's direction.

Lucy shivers but turns to the remaining group. "Alright guys. Follow me to Mira's!" She exclaims excitedly. Lucy grabs Levy's hand and pulls her towards a small bakery café. It's a cute little shop only a few blocks away from their school. The outside is painted a pretty maroon color with a few tables and chairs along the windows of the café. Walking in, the inside is painted a bright sky blue with nature photographs decorating the wall. There are a small amount of table and chairs on the inside and along the back wall is a glass case filled to the brim with delectable pastries. Natsu's mouth begins to water.

A small blue haired girl bounds up to them happily. She has on a maroon tee-shirt, a pair of blue jeans and an apron that matches the walls of the café. Her hair is also tied up into pigtails.

The bluenette jumps into Lucy's out stretched arms. "Lucy! I've missed you!" She exclaims. Lucy laughs and hugs her back. "Hey Wendy! We've missed you too."

Wendy smiles wide and gives Levy a hug as well. She then looks behind the two girls at the two strangers standing behind them.

"Wendy, meet Gajeel and Natsu. They're new to our school. Natsu, Gajeel, meet Wendy Marvell." Levy smiles at the girl.

Wendy smiles at the boys shyly and bows her head. "It's nice to meet you both. Welcome to 'Mira's'. Follow me and I'll show you to your seats." She grabs Lucy's and Levy's hands and leads them over to a table near the window. "Someone will be right with you to take your order. Unfortunately I've got something I've got to do. But someone else is here who would want to see you!" She smiles excitedly at the group and skips away.

"Well she's spunky." Natsu smiles at the girl as she walks into the back.

Lucy nods. "Yeah, she's something alright. Wendy's always been a super sweet girl. She's a little clumsy, though. So she doesn't really do any serving. More just a hostess and does some of the cleaning in the back."

Just then another girl walks up to the group. She has long brown hair. She's wearing a similar outfit to what Wendy was wearing except instead off a shirt, it's a maroon bathing suit top and blue jeans. "Hey Lucy, Levy! How you guys been?"

' _Is it just me or does it sound like her words are a bit slurred?'_ Natsu scrunches his face confused.

"Cana! It's been awhile!" Lucy gets up to hug the taller female.

Levy smiles and nods. "Cana, have you been drinking again?" She raises her eyebrow.

Cana smiles a goofy grin. "You guys know better than to ask me that. Of course I've been!" The girls sweat drops. She looks at the two guys sitting with the girls. "Now who might these boys be? They're kinda cute!" She laughs.

This time, the boys sweat drop. "Hi! I'm Natsu and this is Gajeel. We just moved here recently." Natsu gives his signature grin. Gajeel just raises his hand in a half wave.

"Well, welcome to 'Mira's'! I'll put in your food orders now and I'll be right back with them!" Cana winks at the group and saunters away.

The boys look at them confused. "How can she put in an order she didn't take?" Natsu asks.

The girls look at each other and giggle. "Cana's good at reading what people want without them even knowing themselves. She's got a gift, let's just say." Lucy smiles.

The group sits in a comfortable silence for a moment; just taking in the quaint shop they're in.

"So," Levy begins. "Why not tell us about yourselves." She gestures to the two boys.

Gajeel and Natsu look at each other before Gajeel pipes up. "Alright shrimp." Levy blushes at the nickname. "So, as you both know, we moved to Magnolia pretty recently from Hargeon."

Natsu chimes in. "Yeah, and we had to take the train all the way here." Both boys pale at the thought.

The girls cock their heads. "Is that a problem?" Levy questions.

Both boys shiver. "Yeah, we both tend to get a little motion sickness." Natsu gags just thinking about it.

"I'm not nearly as bad as you, fire-butt!" Gajeel exclaims.

"Oh yeah? Tell that to the time you barfed all over the seat next to you." Natsu laughs.

Gajeel glares at Natsu. "Whatever. Anyway, the three of us moved here with the rest of or family-"

"Wait. Our family? Are the tree of you related?" Lucy says in a surprised tone.

Natsu scratches the back of his head and laughs. "Well, sort of. Gajeel and Gray are step brothers. I was adopted by their parents."

Both girls sit there with a surprise look on their faces. "Well, I guess we should have guessed. Haha." Lucy sweat drops.

Natsu nods. "Yeah, my father Igneel died when I was little. Then Gray found me living on the streets back home. He took me to his house and from there, it was like I had a family again." He smiles sadly.

Lucy gives him a look as well. "I'm sorry Natsu, it must have been really hard." She squeezes his hand. "I understand though. My mother died two years ago today, actually." Lucy looks down.

Natsu squeezes her hand back. "I'm so sorry Lucy."

She smiles at him sadly. "It's alright. I'm hanging in there as best I can. I'm just thankful I have Levy. She's been there with me though everything." Lucy smiles at her friend.

Levy's lip quivers and gives Lucy a tight hug. Before anyone can say anything else, Cana came back with their food. "Alright guys, here's your food. Lucy, here's your usual strawberry milkshake." Lucy receives it happily, licking her lips. "Levy, here's your usual strawberry cake slice." Levy says thank you happily. "For Natsu, here's a jalapeno cheddar focaccia muffin. Super spicy, one of my favorites. And for Gajeel, a slice of our famous chocolate cake. Enjoy!" She then walks off waving.

The group digs into their respective treats. "Man! She really does know how to pick 'em!" Natsu declares, face stuffed with food.

Lucy giggles. "We told you." She winks at the two.

As the group is in the middle of their afterschool snack, a tall women with silver hair comes up to greet them. She's wearing the shop's typical uniform and has her bangs tied up in a small ponytail. "Hey everyone! How is the food?" She says in a sweet voice.

Levy smiles up at the women. "It's great, as usual! Gajeel, Natsu I'd like you to meet-"

"Mira?!" Natsu exclaims, standing up quickly.

Mira looks at him confused for a minute. "Yes, that's me."

"Mira, it's me! Natsu! I would always play with Lisanna all the time before you moved away!" He tries to get her to remember him.

Mira thinks for a second before her eyes light up. "Oh my goodness, Natsu! I remember you! You're Lisanna's little boyfriend." She giggles. "And this must be Gajeel! I don't remember you having all those pricings though." Gajeel blushes and grunts something that sounded like a greeting.

Natsu blushes as Lucy and Levy raise an eyebrow at him. "Mira and her siblings used to live by us in Hargeon before moving here. We used to play together all the time back then." He explains to the girls.

"So, you have a girlfriend already, huh?" Lucy socks her head to the side but giggles.

Natsu turns even redder. "It's not exactly like that. But yeah, I guess I still do have some feelings for Lisanna. I'm sorry Luce, I should have said something to you." He sits down.

Lucy giggles some more. "That's alright, Natsu. I'm not upset."

Mira winks. "No, of course she's not. She already has the hots for a certain blonde in the area."

It was Lucy's turn to blush as red as a tomato. "Shh, Mira. The last thing I need is for more people to find out."

Natsu just cracks a grin. "Luce, it's not that hard to figure out. We see the way you look at him." He gestures over to Levy. "Same with her and the black-haired friend of his." Levy squeaks, turning red.

Gajel cracks a small smile as well. "We just don't understand why you guys feel that way when all they do is torment you." His smile turns into a frown.

Mira looks at the girls in concern. "So, it's still happening, huh? The two of them still bothering you?"

Natsu rolls his eyes. "Bothering is a bit of an understatement." He mutters under his breath.

Both girls glare at them. "It's hard to explain. Yeah, they 'bother' us. But we've known them for a while. Especially Sting and I. It's hard to just 'get over' someone. As obviously Natsu should know." Lucy says with a smirk.

Natsu blushes again. "Yeah, well, they're the last two I would imagine you guys would want to be associated with."

Lucy shrugs. "As much as we'd like to get over the two, it's not that easy. So we're just going to ride it out until high school is over. That's really all we can do." Both girls sigh.

Mira clears her throat. "Well, both Levy and Lucy know that they're always welcome to come here and stay as long as they like. They're like family after all." She smiles at the two.

"Thanks Mira. We really appreciate it." Levy smiles back.

Lucy takes out her phone and looks at the time. "Crap! It's getting late. I wanted to go see my mother before I have to go home. I can't be late or else-" She stops in mid-sentence. Levy turns to her with a concerned look.

Gajeel looks at her weird. "Or else what?"

Lucy panics a little but tries to keep her voice steady. "It's nothing important. Don't worry about it." She waves her hand.

The boys look at each other and shrug. "Alright then. Did you want us to walk you there?" Natsu offers.

Lucy shakes her head. "It's alright; I'd rather just go by myself. You guys could give Levy some company on her way home?" She suggests despite Levy's looks of 'I'm a big girl, I can walk alone'. "Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Bye Mira! Say bye to Wendy and Cana for me!" She waves as she exits the bakery, on her way to the cemetery.

 **Meanwhile, a few blocks away:**

"Come Sting. Why won't you come cuddle with me~" A sickly sing-song voice asks, lying down on his bed.

Sting glares at her. "Because you're annoying. That's why." He sits back in his computer chair, listening to his music and trying to study for an upcoming test.

Minerva glares right back. "Well, if that's the case, why the hell are we even together?" she yells and crosses her arms.

"You know, that's a good question. This isn't working out anymore." He takes his earphones off.

Minerva looks at him shocked before her face twists into anger. "What the hell has gotten into you lately? This is about that bitchy blonde isn't it?!" She stands in anger.

Sting stands up and gives her a look that could freeze hell. "You have no idea what the hell you're even talking about!" He throws his text book, denting the wall of his room. "That's it, I'm going for a walk." He turns to look at the girl on his bed. "And you better be gone by the time I get back." He stomps out of his room and slams the door.

Minerva clenches her fists and tries to calm down. "This has gone on long enough." She sits at Sting's computer and starts searching his files. "There's got to be something on here I can use. Those two have known each other forever." She clicks around some more before coming upon a file that reads 'Childhood Memories'. Clicking on the file, she finds all of Sting's memories in pictures and videos up until middle school. She scrolls until she finds a video of Lucy. As she watches it, her face lights up and her smirk grows wider and wider.

 _'This is perfect! That blonde bimbo has no idea what's coming to her!'_ She squeals as she downloads the file onto her USB stick. She closes out of the files and starts heading home to prepare for the next school day.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! So I've been having more crazy things happen. Yesterday my power was cut so I couldn't get any access to the internet. And then this morning our basement flooded. It's been an interesting week so far. Hopefully the interesting things end today! Thank you for being patient. Here is your next chapter!

Disclaimer: No Fairy Tail, yes story.

Chapter 10:

 _'Man, why did I ever start dating her again? She's annoying as hell and I don't even like her!'_ Sting makes a disgusted face. _'Oh yeah, she's great in bed and she helped make me popular in high school.'_

Sting grunts in frustration as her walks through the town's cemetery. His iPod died a few minutes ago, which made him even more frustrated. As he reaches the middle of the cemetery, he hears a soft, feminine voice. He looks around to find the source of the voice, finding the last person he ever expected to see. _'What the hell is blondie doing here?'_ Sting wonders, hiding behind a nearby headstone. He listens as best he can.

Lucy kneels in front of the headstone with her head bowed. "Hi mom. I hope you're doing well up there. I really miss you." Lucy collapses onto the ground. "Everything keeps going downhill." She starts trembling, not being able to hold back her tears any longer. "Father is at it again. The other day he pulled me down the stairs by my hair. Then he slapped me and kicked me…" Lucy attempts to wipe her tears to no avail. "I can't tell anyone. They would take me away. Where would I go? And, he may be a big jerk, but he's still my father." She sighs. "And Sting…"

Sting's ears perk up at the mention of his name.

This time, Lucy cries even harder. "Why does Sting hate me? I've never done anything to him. We used to be best friends and then it all changed. He still torments me, Mom. At this rate, I'll never be able to tell him I love him." Lucy cries out, slamming her fist into the ground. "Why can't I just get over him?! Why do I still love someone who loves someone else?! How can I love someone who does THIS to me?!" Lucy unclenches her fists and looks up at the sky. "I don' know how much more I can do this, Mom. I need to be with you. One of these days, I'll be pushed too far…" Lucy stands up and rests her hand on the headstone. "I better get going before Father finds out where I've been. I love you." Lucy takes a step back for a second before turning and running back home.

Behind a nearby headstone, a certain blonde haired boy sits there in total shock. He wanted to run after Lucy but couldn't find himself to move.

 _'Lucy…What the hell is going on?! Her mother died? When?! Why didn't she tell me?!'_ Sting mentally slapped himself. _'Of course she wouldn't tell me. Why would she? I've been a real piece of shit to her. No, that's defiantly an understatement.'_

Sting clenches his fists. _'Her dad beats her too? How can anyone do that to their own child?! And I've just been adding more damage…'_ Tears start forming in his eyes. _'Wait, did she say she loves me? That she HAS loved me? How long?'_ Sting's heart begins to beat faster. _'I need to talk to her. I need to attempt to explain myself. I can't let her go!'_ Sting stands up quickly but soon realizes it's getting dark. _'But it's getting late. I'll have to see her at school tomorrow. Please, Lucy, just hand in there one more day…'_ He heads home to prepare what he will say to Lucy tomorrow.

* * *

"HOW DARE YOU!" Lucy father screams as he throws his daughter into the opposite wall. She grunts in pain as she falls to the floor. "How DARE you go see your mother's grave, you little bitch! You're not even WROTHY enough to go visit her!" He kicks her in the stomach, making her wheeze.

"H-how d-did you know I-I went?" Lucy tries to say.

"I'm not stupid!" He grabs her by the hair and hulls her up to his height. "I saw you walk past my house in the direction of the cemetery!" He back-hands her across the face. "Why the hell would you think Layla would want to see the likes of you?!" He pulls at her arms and rips the sleeves of her shirt off. "Why would ANYONE want to see how pathetic you are, cutting yourself open like that?! Huh?! You want attention that badly?! It's disgusting!" Lucy's Father grabs her hard by the wrist and drags her to the kitchen. "So, you wanna hurt yourself, Huh?" He grabs a small kitchen knife. "Well, here, let me help you!" Putting the knife against Lucy's skin, he pulls it straight across her wrist, making her scream in pain. He does this three more times before throwing the knife into the sink. "Clean yourself up and get out of my sight." Her Father releases Lucy's arm, causing her to collapse on the ground, bleeding and bruised.

It took all of Lucy's will power not to pass out. She drags herself, very slowly, out of the kitchen and to the bottom of the stairs. Breathing heavily, she hulls herself up the first step wincing in pain. She the repeats the process up the rest of the steps.

Lucy drags herself into her room, barely making it through the doorway. Before she could even reach her bed, she collapses from dizziness and blacking out from extreme exhaustion and pain.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note:** Hey guys! It's time for one of my two favorite chapters to be posted. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Do not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 11:

Lucy could barely get herself out of her room this morning. She was bruised from the neck down. It took her a lot longer to get ready for school today than it normally does. Luckily, she was able to text Levy this morning to let her know she was running late. Lucy goes on with her daily routine, just at a slower pace. Also making sure her wounds are covered, she applies makeup to her bruises and bandages up her cuts before covering up with a sweater. She's about ready to go by the time Levy pulls up in front of the house. Grabbing her things, she slowly and painfully makes her way down the stairs and out the door, silently thanking her Mother that her Father wasn't home. Levy notices how much pain Lucy is in and rushes out to help her.

"I-it's okay, Levy. I can do it." Lucy speaks up in a raspy voice.

"No Lu! This has gone on long enough. One day he could end up killing you! Please, you need to talk to Mrs. Erza today." Levy looks at Lucy as she contemplates what she should do. "Please, Lucy. Please talk to her." Levy pleads once more.

Lucy sighs and looks down. "Alright, I'll try after school."

Levy sighs and nods, helping Lucy to the car. The car ride was mostly silent. Lucy didn't really know what to say or how to explain what happened. Levy understood and was okay with the silence.

About 10 minutes later, they pull up to the school, barely making it on time. The girls pile out of the car and head inside. Walking into the front door, they notice there was a bigger crowd of kids than normal in the entrance hall.

 _'Huh. Weird.'_ Lucy thinks looking around. Lucy then feels a tap on her shoulder, making her turn around. She stiffens, noticing who had tapped her on the shoulder.

"Um, hey Lucy. I was wondering if I could-" But before Sting could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a loud voice on the schools intercom.

"Attention Everyone!" The voice screeches.

 _'Is that Minerva?'_

"I wanted to get everyone's attention to a mass text I just sent out! If you would please turn your attention to your phone, I promise you're in for a real treat!" She laughs evilly.

As Lucy's phone bussed, she opens the text file from an unknown number.

What happened next, she never saw coming. Her eyes widen and her hands start shaking.

 _'No! No! No! How could this happen!'_

Right on the screen of her phone is the one thing she never wanted anyone to ever see again. Playing right now is a video of her from fifth grade. She was in a play for church. A solo she was supposed to preform was coming up. When it was her time to sing, she got so scared, she peed herself and all over the floor of the stage.

Lucy watches her phone in pure horror as her nightmare played over and over again.

 _'No, this can't be happening! How the hell did she find out about this video?! He only ones who have a copy were my parents and-'_

Her last thought was confirmed as Minerva interrupts her thoughts. "I would like to thank Sting for letting me use his computer to find this gem of a video." She cackles once again.

Lucy drops her phone as she slowly turns to face Sting, the pain of betrayal and heartbreak evident in her eyes. Sting looks at her with just as much shock. "Lucy, I-"before he could say anything else, Lucy bolts out of the school, the students laughter following her close behind.

"Lucy wait!" Sting yells after her. Suddenly, he feels a sharp slap to the face. He looks down to find a fuming Levy.

"How DARE you! You've been torturing her for years and then you decide to just straight up humiliate her in front of the whole school?! Haven't you done enough to the poor girl already?!" She screams at Sting, as the students watch as the quietest girl in school unleashes her fury. She then looks over at a surprised Rogue, tears spilling over her cheeks. "And you aren't any better! I wouldn't be surprised if YOU had anything to do with it too! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to find my best friend before she does something STUPID!" Levy glares one last time before running to find Lucy.

Sting and Rogue just stand there in shock before finally coming to their senses. "I need to go find her. To explain!" Sting panics as he heads for the door, but not before being stopped by Minerva.

"Sting~ Where are you going?" She says in a sickly sweet voice.

"Get out of my way!" He pushes her into the wall and runs out of the school to find Lucy, Rogue close behind.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** Here you go!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail still.

Chapter 12:

Lucy ran as fast as she could to the nearby lake and collapses in the grass, tears streaming down her face.

 _'How could Sting do this to me? He KNEW how I felt about that video. I knew he hated me but this went too far.'_

Lucy reaches into her pocket and takes out her used, metal friend. With trembling fingers, she rolls up her sleeves and presses the cold sharp edge to her skin, quickly bringing it across her wrist. Relief spreads over her but it wasn't enough. Not this time. She repeats the process five more times, three cuts across each wrist. This time, they're deeper, as she watches the blood beed and slide down her arms.

Lucy stands up. Swaying back and fourth as she reaches the edge of the nearby cliff. She stands there, looking for the edge, wondering what she should do.

 _'Should I jump? Would it be a quick and painless death? No. Probaly not.'_ Her mind wandering as she rocks back and forth.

"Lu!"

Lucy looks up, hearing her name being called. "Levy?"

Levy runs over to her friend and engulfs her into a big hug. "Please don't do it, Lu. I need you. You're the only one I have now." Levy trembles.

Lucy sighs. "I don't know how much more I can handle this, Levy." She doesn't hug her back, not wanting to stain Levy in her blood.

"LUCY!"

Lucy stiffens at the voice calling her. The voice of her very nightmares.

"Lucy, please wait!" Sting rushes up to Lucy but stops a few feet away. "Please, let me explain." Sting huffs out.

Lucy turns on her heel to look at Sting. When she does, Sting gasps. "Lucy your arms!" He starts towards her.

"Stay away from me!" Lucy takes a step back, closer to the cliff.

Sting panics. "Lucy, I just want to help-"

Lucy gives him a very angry look. He's never seen her give him this look before. "HELP?! So you want to 'HELP' me now?!" Her voice rising. "Why would you do that, Sting?! You KNOW how I felt about that video! I can't even BELIEVE you!"

Sting quickly speaks up. "No! It's not like that! Minerva must have looked through my computer when I left the house! I swear, I didn't give her anything!" He pleads with her.

"And why should I believe you now, huh?! After EVERYTHING you put me through?! You made my life a living HELL!" She point at Rogue. "And YOU! What the hell is YOUR problem?! Levy is the sweetest girl I have ever come to know, who hasn't ever done ANYTHING wrong. You're just as bad as him!" She screams at Rogue, who flinches.

Lucy turns back to Sting, who looks like he's about ready to die. "What have I EVER done to you?! We used to be so close. Then you become the biggest JERK on the face of the earth!

Sting finally speaks up. "It's because of her." He points at Levy. "I felt like you replaced me as your best friend with her! So that's when I started dating Minerva, to get you out of my mind. To become popular."

Lucy looks at him with a stupid look on her face before finally blowing up. "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! THAT'S your excuse?! Even if that WERE true, which is total bullshit, that is THE lamest excuse to torment someone!" Lucy screams flinging her arms everywhere, making the blood run faster.

"Levy was there for me when you weren't! You were so busy being popular in high school, you didn't even realize what was going on with me!" Tears are streaming down her face. "I couldn't even tell you my mother died without the fear of being made fun of! I couldn't tell you how my father BEATS me after she died because I thought you HATED ME!" Her voice is now coming out on sobs.

Suddenly she starts getting light headed. "All the two of us ever did was LOVE YOU TWO and what do we get in return?! A LIFE OF PURE HELL!" Lucy's knees are shaking as she tries to stay upright.

"Lu, I think we should try to get you to a doctor." Levy says concerned, trying to keep Lucy upright.

Lucy ignores her. "I-I HATE you Sting! I don't ever want to see your face again! Just stay away from us!" She collapses to her knees.

Sting just stands there in shock, mouth wide open as his entire being shatters. But before he could go to Lucy, he sees a blur of pink.

"Lucy! Are you okay?!" Natsu yells as he rushes to the fallen girl. He's followed by Gray and Gajeel.

"Natsu, we need to get her to Mira's. Quick. Wendy knows what to do." Natsu nods as he picks up the limp girl in his arms.

"Lucy please, wa-" Before he can finish, Sting gets a fist in his face.

"Do NOT go anywhere near her." Gray says dangerously through gritted teeth. "You've already done enough. Leave her alone." Gray follows Natsu to help with Lucy.

Before Rogue can open his mouth, Gajeel grabs him by the collar. "You too. Leave Levy the hell alone." He drops Rogue to the ground and looks at both boys. "God, I can't even stand to look at the two of you. I don't understand how the two of the nicest girls I've ever met could ever like scum like you." He spits at the boys and grabs Levy to follow the rest of the group to Mira's.

Sting sits there shocked for a moment, holding his cheek. He then punches the ground and screams.

 _'No! I can't lose her yet! I have to do something! I have to fix this!'_

Rogue looks at Sting, his voice shaking. "What the hell do we do now, Sting? How is this even fixable?"

Sting shakes his head. "I don't know. But we WILL fix this. I refuse to let Lucy go. We WILL make it up to them!" He slams his fist into the ground one more time, tears streaming down his face.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated. I've been doing my best to find a second job. Got student loans, credit cards and a car to pay for. So it's been a little stressful lately. But here is the next chapter. I apologize if it's on the slow side. But it's a transition. The story will begin to wrap up soon. I appreciate you all being so patient with me!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, still wish I did.

Chapter 13:

"Mira!" Levy bangs on the door of the café. Normally, the shop would be closed by now but the girls tend to stay later to prepare for the next day.

"MIRA!" Natsu screams while trying to get Lucy to stay conscious.

Thankfully, before they could break down the door, Mira comes and opens the door, slightly confused. Unlocking it, she looks at the group. "Hey everyone wha-"before she finishes her sentence she notices the blond girl in Natsu's arms. "Oh my goodness, Lucy!" She squeals, ushering in the group.

"Please, we need Wendy!" Levy says in a panic. Natsu gently sets Lucy down on the closest table. Mira nods and rushes to get Wendy.

A few seconds later, Wendy rushes out followed by Cana and Mira. When they see Lucy, they gasp. "Lucy! What happened?!" Wendy asks, opening her medical kit.

Gray clenches his fists. "Sting happened."

Mira looks at the group with worry. "What did he do now?"

Natsu grows angry once he makes sure Lucy is being taken care of. "That bastard decided to humiliate her in front of the whole school. He let Minerva go through his computer and she found a video of Lucy from when she was younger. That bitch decided to send a mass text with the video attached to it to the whole school."

Levy nods and looks at the poor girl lying on the table. "Not only that, her father beat her again last night pretty badly," Levy looks down. "I guess she finally snapped after the video was sent out."

This came as no surprise for the girls but the boys, on the other hand, stared at Levy in shock.

"Her father BEATS her?!" Gray yells. Levy nods sadly.

"Why haven't you guys told anyone?!" Gajeel throws up his hands.

Mira sighs. "There's not much we can do. Lucy begged us not to say anything. She always said that 'it's her father, that she doesn't want anything to happen to him'. Plus, even if we did say something to someone, she would just deny it was happening."

Cana punches the nearby wall. "I can't believe this shit. Lucy is the last person who deserves ANY of this bull she's been put through! When I get my hands on that boy…"

"No. Please don't…" A weak voice pleads from the table.

The group rushes to Lucy's side. "Lucy! How are you feeling?" Natsu asks worried.

Lucy gives a weak smile. "I'm okay, Natsu. Thank you for worrying," She turns to Cana, "Please, just leave the situation alone."

Cana throws up her hands. "Are you crazy? Lucy, he's gone too far this time. It's time he's learned his lesson!" As the three boys around them all nodded in agreement.

Lucy shakes her head. "I just want to forget about him. I don't want anything to do with him. I don't want it being brought up ever again," Her face grows serious.

The group of friends look at each other with hesitation. Lucy starts to panic and sits up too fast. "Please!" She exclaims, her breathing growing faster and head getting lighter.

"Okay okay, Lu. Just please calm down." Levy tries to reassure her. The rest of the group each gives their own scowl but nods in agreement. Lucy sighs and leans back down onto the table.

"Luce, how did Sting get his hands on the video anyway?" Natsu tilts his head in confusion.

Lucy stays quiet for a minute before answering. "Sting and I went to the same church when we were little. Like I told you before, we were very close. So when I told him about the performance, he was so excited to watch me. Him and my parents were the ones video taping the play. So when I had my...accident..." Lucy tears up slightly. "They had accidentally recorded it. But the promised me no one would ever see it. I thought Sting deleted it..." Lucy sighs. "I guess I was wrong on that account as well..."

Levy shakes her head. "Lu, it's not your fault. You didn't know. And Sting promised you that he'd delete it. That's his fault." The rest of their friends nod in agreement.

The group stands there for a moment as Wendy finishes cleaning and bandaging Lucy's wounds. "You're going to have to try to restrain from doing anything too active. No heavy lifting, no sudden movements with your arms. You don't want these wounds opening again and losing any more blood." Wendy hesitates before adding her last thought. "I would highly recommend seeing an actual doctor. There's not much I can do as a healer in this situation."

Just as expected, Lucy shakes her head. "No, I'll be fine. You did a good job, Wendy. I feel a little better." She gives the blue haired girl a small smile, as she struggles to sit up. Levy and Mira help the girl sit up on the table and stay in an upright position. "I just don't know if I should go back to school tomorrow or not. I don't know if I can face everyone yet." Lucy frowns.

Levy brightens as an idea pops into her head. "Come over tonight. You can sleep over and then we can stay in all day tomorrow and watch movies or something. I know you don't like spending your time away from home but I don't really want you near your dad tomorrow and I'm afraid what will happen if you end up staying alone with him all day." Levy suggests to her friend.

Lucy considers it before sighing and nodding. "That's fine with me. To be honest, I don't even care what happens to me anymore."

The group frowns as Lucy puts her head in her hands. Levy reassures her. "I'll be fun. Don't worry, everything will be fine. It'll get better."

Lucy looks up at her friend and smiles. Just then she remembers. "Oh my god, I forgot I dropped my phone at school!" Lucy starts to panic.

"Lucy, relax. Don't worry, I grabbed it." Natsu smiles handing her her phone. "And I also deleted the video, so you won't have to watch it again." Lucy smiles at her friend, thanking him.

"That reminds me, how did you know what happened or where to find us? We didn't see you at school today." Levy tilts her head in confusion.

The three boys glanced at each other. "Well, we were running late. As we were walking into school, we saw bastard 1 and bastard 2 run out and almost smack into us." Gray says referring to Sting and Rogue. "We thought it was a little strange but didn't think much about it right away. Then, once we walked into the building, there was an unusual amount of chaos in the entrance hall. We asked someone what was going on and they showed us the video in question." Gray looks at the girls sadly.

Gajeel continues. "So as soon as we saw the video, we put two and two together and followed Sting and Rogue's direction they ran in. That's how we found the two of you."

Levy and Lucy nod. "Well, thank you guys for showing up. It means a lot to us." Lucy bows her head. "Now, if you guys could help me down off this table, we could get going."

Gray grabs Lucy's had and helps her climb off the table. "Are you sure you'll be okay Lucy?" Mira asks worried.

Lucy grins and nods. "Don't worry, Mira. I'm okay." She gives a thumbs up.

Mira giggles quietly and smiles. "You're one of the strongest girls I know, Lucy. You know that?"

"Well, you're not the first person to say that to me. But thank you." Lucy smiles and Levy and Gray help walk her out of the shop, followed by Natsu and Gajeel. "Thanks everyone. I'll let you know when Levy and I make it home." She waves to the shop owner and employees.

Lucy looks at her phone and groans. "Sting tried to call me a few times." Noticing the 6 missed calls from Sting and 10 new messages. "I refuse to even look at the texts." Lucy turns her phone off and puts it in her pocket.

Natsu looks at her with worry. "Will you guys be okay tonight by yourselves?"

The girls look at each other and giggle. "Don't worry, Natsu. We'll be fine. Or do you just wanna spend the night with us?" Lucy winks, making Natsu blush.

"T-that's not what I meant at all, you know that." Natsu stutters.

Lucy giggles. "I know, I'm just messing with you. Yeah, we'll be alright. There's nothing you need to worry about." The group makes it to Levy's house. The girls turn to their companions. "Make it back home safely. We'll be inside all night and tomorrow all day, so don't expect to see us at school. Thanks guys!" Levy waves as she helps Lucy through her front door.

The three boys wave, watching the girls disappear from view. Gajeel turns to the other two. "We need to keep a closer eye on Sting and Rogue. I have a feeling they won't be done with those girls yet." Both Gray and Natsu nodded, understanding what Gajeel is getting at.

"We're going to keep them safe this time. I refuse to let anyone hurt our friends!" Natsu exclaims, throwing up a fist in the air in triumph.

Gray shakes his head. "You're such a dork, you know that?"


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's note:** Hey guys. Sorry I haven't been updating as frequently. Life has been getting in the way. I've taken on a second job to help pay for bills and such. But I haven't given up on this story, I'm going to see it through, I promise.

On a more positive note, if you guys haven't figured out yet, my name is Yōsei Cosplay which means I'm a cosplayer. That's actually the name on my Facebook page. I don't know if any of you guys have ever heard of the anime Fresh Precure? (It's similar to Sailor Moon, but I personally like it better.) Well, my friends and I did those cosplays last Anime Central in Chicago, IL and we made a music video. We're really proud of it so if you guys have the spare time, go and check it out!

Anyway, here's the next chapter! I apologize if it's pretty action-less. I have about two more chapters to go till I'm done and I promise you, it'll end very well.

Disclaimer: Still no Fairy Tail ownership.

Chapter 14:

Sting glances around the school hallway, fiddling with his phone. Since he walked into school today, he's been searching for a certain blonde girl that's been on his mind all night. Unfortunately, he hasn't seen her walk into the school yet. His fingers itch to call her once again, but every time he would, it would go straight to voice mail. It's no surprise to him that she would turn her phone off.

 _'Why would she call me back anyway? She hates me.'_ His head hangs low, remembering exactly what went down yesterday. After the incident at the cliff, he couldn't face going back to school so instead he skipped with Rogue and went back to his house to try to figure out what to do. Unfortunately, what the two boys wanted to do requires the girls to be at school, which is currently not working in their favor.

Sting groans and smacks the back of his head against the wall. He looks over at Rogue who has the most uninterested look on his face. But knowing his friend, he knows Rogue's mind is racing just the same as his. What can they do when the two girls that is the cause of their thoughts won't show up to school? They should have known this was going to happen.

 _'The last thing Lucy wants is to hear what people would be saying about her today after what happened.'_ Walking into school today was the worst feeling. All around them, the boys could hear what was being said about the poor girl. A few times, Sting had to threaten a few people to shut up. Until they started to look at him weird, thinking why the most popular guy in class whom teased Lucy was standing up for the reject. So getting overwhelmed, Sting just decided to hide in the corner of the hallway, staring at the front doors till he saw Lucy walk in. So far, nothing.

The door to the school suddenly slams open. Sting's heart races, hoping it's the one person he's been dying to talk to. Unfortunately, seeing who ACTUALLY walked through the door was the last three people he wanted to see. But, sucking it up, he quickly makes his way to the three friends of Lucy and Levy.

"Um, hey guys, do you know where Lucy is?" Sting asks nervously.

Rogue nods. "And Levy too?"

Gray gives the two a disgusted look. "Didn't we tell you two to stay AWAY from Lucy and Levy? Or are your skulls too thick to receive such vital information?" Gajeel smirks and Natsu cracks his knuckles.

Sting holds up his hands in surrender. "Look, I promise we don't want to cause any more problems. We just really want to talk to them, to explain what is going on!"

The three boys looked at each other. Natsu glares back at Sting. "And what makes you think that we'd be okay with you talking to them after what happened?"

Gajeel nods. "I don't know how you guys could explain this one. It's gone on long enough." Gray and Natsu nod in agreement.

Before Sting or Rogue could respond, the bell rings signaling the start of first period.

"Like we said yesterday. Stay away from them." Gray gives them one last glare as they make their way to their first period class, giving hell to anyone who talks about what happened the previous day.

 _'I really hope the girls show up tomorrow. That way Rogue and I can carry out our plans to get them back!'_

* * *

Lucy looks over at Levy who is concentrating on painting her nails. The two girls have been occupying Levy's room since they got home yesterday. They grabbed as many snacks as they could and spent all night and now all day in the girl's room.

"I think we should go back to school tomorrow." Lucy announced suddenly.

Levy looks at her in slight shock, which quickly turns to worry. "Are you sure, Lu? What about the other kids?" Levy hesitates before speaking her next question. "What about Sting and Rogue?"

Lucy shrugs and looks down, hugging her knees to her chest. "I can't avoid everyone forever. The longer I wait it out, the worse it'll get. The last thing I want is for people to think I'm scared of them. And Sting… Well, I'll just have to do my best to not run into him." Lucy rests her chin on her knees. _'What will I do if I DO run into Sting? What would he say, if he even says anything at all? Oh god, what about Minerva?'_ Lucy starts to freak out slightly before taking a few deep breaths. _'It'll be alright, Lucy. Try not to dwell on it. Enjoy your day with Levy.'_

Lucy takes one more deep breath and looks at Levy. "So, what do we want to do now?" She asks, trying to lighten the mood.

Levy thinks for a moment. "Well, we could watch a movie or play a game?" She suggests.

Lucy nods her head. "I think it would be fun to binge-watch a TV series. You have a few we can choose from." She crawls over to Levy's movie case and browses her selection. Seeing her favorite TV series, she hands it to Levy.

"Ahhh yes! Good choice." Levy grabs the DVD set and puts in the season one, disc one DVD of the series.

 _'Tomorrow will be okay. As long as I got Levy and the boys, I'll be okay.'_ Lucy tries to reassure herself, as the opening credits to Buffy the Vampire Slayer play.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! I'm back! Sorry for the weird week Hiatus. It was my birthday weekend and I had a lot of plans. But like I said, I promised I wasn't going to stop right towards the end of this fic. That wouldn't be fair. So here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: Do not own Fairy Tail, unfortunately.

Chapter 15:

Lucy sits in Levy's bed with her knees to her chest. She glances at the clock. It reads 6 am. Lucy groans quietly. Today they were supposed to go back to school. Despite it being Lucy's idea, she was having second thoughts. She really had no idea how it would go and that was making her anxious. Seeing as there was no point trying to fall back asleep, since they had to be back up in an hour anyway, Lucy gets out of bed without waking Levy to go shower. Doing her best to not look in the mirror, she strips off Levy's pajamas she borrowed and stepped into the steaming shower, letting the hot water wash away her anxiety. For now.

About 20 minutes later, Lucy steps back out of the shower, still avoiding the mirror. Wrapping a towel around her torso and hair, she exits the bathroom to find Levy awake, sitting at her vanity.

"I'm sorry Levy. I didn't mean to wake you," Lucy apologizes.

Levy shakes her head and smiles. "It's alright. I wasn't sleeping well anyway." She gestures to Lucy wrapped in a towel. "I'm guessing you weren't either."

Lucy nods and sighs, rummaging through some of her clothes she keeps at Levy's house. Finding a simple pair of skinny jeans and a t-shirt, Lucy heads to the bathroom again and changes into her clothes. She exits to let Levy shower for the day as she does her daily makeup routine.

An hour later, both girls are ready to head to school. They sit in Levy's car for a moment. "Maybe we should call Gajeel and the boys to meet us there so we wouldn't have to go in alone." Levy suggests.

Lucy nods. "Can you do it? I would really rather keep my phone off."

Levy nods in understanding and calls Gajeel, explaining the situation. She says bye and hangs up. "Alright Lu, they're going to meet us outside the school in 10. You ready?"

Lucy nods and Levy pulls away from her house. 10 minutes later, the girls pull up to the school. Lucy takes a deep breath and looks around for the boys. She sees them walking to the car. Relief floods though her as she opens the door to exit the car. A blur of pink hugs her tightly.

"Lucy, how are you feeling?" Natsu asks, pulling away.

Lucy gives him a small smile. "I'm fine. Just anxious about walking back in there." Her smile fades.

Gray puts a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Luce. We're here with you just in case something happens."

Gajeel nods and rests his hand on Levy's head, making her huff. "Yeah don't worry about it." He smirks.

Both girls look at each other and nod, heading for the doors of the school. Walking in was pretty much how Lucy thought it would be. People staring and laughing.

"Hey Lucy! You going to pee your pants again? You look pretty scared!" Some kid laughed. He stopped once Natsu pushed him into the lockers. Lucy sighs, hands shaking as she tries to stay calm.

 _'Yeah, just as I was expecting.'_ She keeps her head low as the insults come flying her way. The boys do their best to keep everything and everyone at bay.

"Lucy?"

Lucy freezes as she hears the one voice she was dreading.

"Lucy! You're back!" Sting tries to reach her but Gray stops him.

"You just don't get the hint, do you. Stay away from Lucy. She doesn't want anything to do with you."

Sting ignores him, still trying to get to her. "Lucy, please talk to me!"

Lucy looks away and walks with Levy to their first period class. As soon as she walked in, all eyes were on her. To say it was one of the most uncomfortable moments of her life was an understatement. She took Levy's hand and walked to their seats as the guys followed. Lucy avoided eye contact as him and Rogue also walked in shortly after. Lucy could hear Minerva cackling in the back of the classroom. She clenches her fists while Mrs. Erza started the lecture.

* * *

 _'Getting through class was alright. At least Mrs. Erza shut anyone up who opened their mouths.'_ Lucy things while packing up her books.

"Lucy? Can I see you for a moment?" Mrs. Erza asks kindly.

Lucy looks back at her friends. "Go ahead, guys. By the time I'm out, no one will be in the halls to bother me. I'll see you next class." Her friends hesitate but nod and exit the room. Lucy walks over to Mrs. Erza. She gestures for Lucy to sit across from her.

"So I know about what happened the other day." She looks at Lucy as Lucy groans and sinks down into her chair. "I know you don't want anyone to help you but sometimes you've just got to ask."

Lucy nods. "I know. I just don't like getting people involved with my own problems. They're my problems to deal with. Besides, it's just easier without outside interference." She sighs.

"Well, after the other day's incident, I had to go to Makarov, Lucy. I'm sorry but this has gone on long enough. He will want to talk to you after school is out."

Lucy stiffens. She never thought she would have to talk to the principal about any of this. But there is no point in dwelling on it now. It's already been done.

Lucy nods and stands up. "May I leave now?"

Mrs. Erza hesitates but nods. Lucy quickly walks out of the room, her head low. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to the principal later.

Before she could make it to her next class, she was grabbed and pulled into a dark closet. The only thing keeping her from screaming was a hand over her mouth. She starts struggling.

"Lucy, Lucy, calm down. It's just me." Says a familiar voice making her stop. She slaps thee hand away.

"Sting! What the hell are you doing?!" She loudly whispers, angry.

"This was the only way I could think of getting you to talk to me. Otherwise, you wouldn't listen. And your 'body guards' wouldn't leave." Sting says, smiling softly.

It takes Lucy a second before comprehending the situation she was in. Her eyes widen and she takes a step away from the boy, hitting the wall behind her. Sting's smile turns into a hurt frown. _'This might be harder than I thought.'_

"W-what do you want Sting? I told you to leave me alone." Lucy stutters.

"Please Lucy. You have to believe me. I swear I didn't give that video to Minerva!" He pleads.

"Then how did she get it? You were the only one who knew about it besides my family." Lucy says quietly.

Sting's face twists in aggravation. "I don't know! I'm not sure how she could have-" He suddenly stops. "Oh…"

Lucy tilts her head. "'Oh' What?"

Sting face palms. "She must have hacked my computer when I went for a walk the other day!" He punches the nearby wall, making Lucy squeak in fear and take a step away from him. He quickly regains his composure. "I'm sorry, Luce. I didn't mean to scare you. I just should've never left her alone in my house." He looks down, his fists clenched in frustration. "I just shouldn't have ever gotten involved with her in the first place…"

Lucy looks at him, half shocked, half unconvinced. "Do you actually mean that?" A small voice escapes her. "Is that the actual truth?"

Sting looks at her, his heart racing. "I swear, Luce. It's the truth!"

Before Lucy can say anything, she hears her name being called. She glances at Sting. "I've got to go. If the others find you with me, it won't be good." She turns to the door, Sting's heart falling once again.

Without turning around, Lucy speaks again. "Come to my house tonight. I'll have to sneak out but I'll give you a chance to explain yourself." Sting looks up, hope evident in his eyes. "But, if I find out you're lying to me or that this is another trick, I swear you will never hear from me or see me ever again." With that, Lucy exits the closet to find her friends.

Sting stands there for a moment to let everything Lucy said sink in. The longer he thinks, the happier he becomes.

 _'Man, I can't screw this chance up. I've got to do this right.'_

Sting is so deep in thought as he exits the closet, he almost rungs straight into Rogue. "Woah, sorry dude. I need to pay attention to where I'm going."

Rogue nods and looks behind his friend. "Why were you in a closet?"

Sting's smile returns to his face. "Oh, I was just talking to Lucy."

Rogue's eyes widen a bit in surprise. "You were actually talking to Lucy? How'd it go?" Not even bothering to ask why they were in a closet.

"Well, it didn't go exactly how I planned. But, she's willing to talk to me after school. So, that's better than nothing." Sting says happily.

Rogue nods with a sad look on his face. "I still haven't tried talking to Levy. I'm not sure how to approach her. She's always around those guys. Specially that Gajeel." Rogue twists his face in disgust.

Sting slaps a hand on his friend's shoulder. " You just got to be straight forward with her. Try to get her to realize you're sorry and you won't hurt her ever again."

Rogue nods and mumbles. "Easier said than done." Just then, the bell rings, signaling the end of second period.

Sting groans. "Shit I totally didn't realize I missed a whole class." He grabs his things and rushes to third period, a moping Rogue following behind.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! I know it's been awhile. There's just a lot that has been going on lately with my car and work and bills. Life tends to get in the way sometimes, especially with working 2 jobs. But I promised I would finish it and I will. Only about two more chapters or so left! Anyway, here's the next one!

Disclaimer: Even though I've been gone awhile, I still wasn't able to attain the rights to Fairy Tail. ~Sad face~

Chapter 16:

 _'Oh god. This is a terrible idea.'_ Lucy sits in Makarov's office, her leg shaking in anxiousness. The last thing she wanted was to be interrogated by the principal. She has no idea what he's going to say. Or do for that matter.

The sound of the door opening interrupted her thoughts. Lucy turns to see a very very small, older man walk in. He sits across from her at his desk and stares at her intently. "So, my child, what has been going on? I heard about what happened the other day."

Lucy groans and sinks further down into her chair. She really REALLY didn't want to talk about this again. "Just some stupid prank that a bully pulled. It's nothing that needs to be worried about."

Makarov looks at her with concern. "Lucy, I know you've had some problems in the past with bullies. I also know I haven't done much about them in the past which I'm deeply sorry for."

Lucy shakes her head, "It's fine. There's not much you can do when the kids parents are part of the school board. Like, I literally don't care at this point. I'd just like the subject dropped please."

Makarov stares at her for a moment before nodding slowly. "If that is what you want, child. But I will let you know, if something else happens again, there will be some problems for those individuals."

Lucy nods and stands up, bowing her head before walking as fast as she can out of that room. She really hates going to the principal's office. What's the point of going and talking to him when nothing can be done about it anyway? Lucy sighs and keeps walking to the front door. By now, the school is empty since it ended about half an hour ago. She didn't make her friends wait since she didn't know how long it would take. Besides, she really didn't want to talk to her friends about what was said.

As Lucy is walking home, she keeps on thinking what she said to Sting. He's actually going to be coming by her house to talk. She groans and face-palms. What was she thinking? Sting can't come to her house. Her dad was going to kill her. She's just going to have to sneak out of her house then. Hopefully Sting shows up a little later when it gets darker. Lucy completely forgot to specify a time for him to come. ' _Man, this is going to be a lot more trouble than I thought.'_

Sting stands in front of his mirror fiddling with his hair. "Come on, work with me here." He groans as he tries to get it to stand like he wants it to. "Whatever, good enough." He sighs and looks at himself. Wanting to look good when he meets up with Lucy, he puts on a nice button up grayish-black shirt and black skinny jeans.

' _I know we're just meeting to talk, but I want to look like I'm serious. She needs to know that I won't do anything to hurt her anymore.'_ Sting sits on his bed for a moment to compose himself. He really can't screw this chance up. Everything he put Lucy through he wanted to make up for it. _'I need to show her how I actually feel about her. That I do return her feelings for me.'_

The blonde abruptly stands up. ' _Well, it's either now or never.'_ Sting grabs his phone and his wallet and takes his leave. Walking out of the house and on the way to Lucy's house, he thinks of ways to tell Lucy what was going on in his head. ' _I don't want to seem like I'm lying to her. Man, how am I going to do this?'_ He groans, his anxietyspiking the closer he gets to Lucy's house.

Sting sees the house. He walks up the steps and raises his hand to knock on the door, but something stops him. He can hear banging and crashing. Suddenly he hears Lucy scream, that was enough for him to bust through the door.

"LUCY!" He looks around for the girl, not seeing anything in the front room. He hears another crash and then a deep male voice.

"So! I see you have a little friend that came over!"

Sting follows the voice into the living room. What he saw, he wasn't prepared for. Lucy was on the ground in the corner of the room. He panics and squats down to take a look at her. Her hair was sticking out all over the place and her hand was covering her reddened cheek. Sting also noticed her arms were bleeding because of her cuts reopening.

"Lucy! Lucy, are you okay?" He touches her arm but she flinches back, not noticing who is touching her. "Lucy, it's me. Sting. It's just me." She looks up, fear evident in her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Sting." She breathes out in a soft voice. "You shouldn't be in here. I was supposed to meet you outside." The girl looks down in shame.

"It's okay, Lucy. I'm not mad." Before Sting can say anything else, Lucy's father interrupts.

"Excuse me! Who the hell are you?! Are you the guy my daughter is tramping around with?!" Her father gives Sting a look of disgust and hate.

Sting stands up, blocking Lucy from her Father. "Shut up! You know nothing about what Lucy does outside of her house! Just shut UP!" He clenches his fists, trying his hardest not to hit the man standing in front of him. Unfortunately, though, Lucy's father doesn't feel the same. Sting suddenly feels a sharp punch to the gut. His eyes go wide as all the air is struck out of him. Doubling over, Sting tries to catch his breath. He looks up at the disgusting man and notices another fist rose to hit him again. Sting couldn't react fast enough, so he does his best to block the next hit. But it never happens.

Sting lets his hands fall, wondering why the punch didn't land. Eyes wide, he knows why. There was Lucy, standing in front of him, holding her stomach, crying out in pain. "Lucy!" Sting quickly holds out his hands as she collapses into his arms.

"Man, how pathetic. She took that hit for you. Ha! What a disgrace. Protecting a man whore like you." Sting looks up at the man with pure rage and hatred in his eyes. Without thinking twice, Sting swings his fist and strikes Lucy's father in the right side of the jaw, knocking him down. "HOW DARE YOU!" Sting punches his again, his other fist hitting the left side. "HOW COULD YOU TALK THAT WAY ABOUT YOUR OWN DAUGHTER?" He punches the man in the stomach. "HOW DARE YOU CALL YOURSELF A FATHER!" Sting stands up and kicks the man in the side, Lucy's father screaming in pain. "I WILL MAKE SURE LUCY NEVER HAS TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN!" With one last punch to the gut, Sting turns to the hurt girl and picks her up bridal style.

' _What do I do, what do I do!'_ Sting panics and tries to come up with a solution. Getting an idea, he quickly exits the house and lays the girl down on the grass outside for a second. He grabs his phone and dials Rogue's number. He answers.

"Hey Sting, wha-" Before Rogue could continue a panicking Sting interrupts him.

"Rogue! I need you to meet me at Levy's house! There's no time to explain, just please! You know where she lives, right?"

Rogue is silent for a second before responding. "Okay? I will. Be there in 10 minutes."

Sting hangs up the phone and grabs the girl lying on the grass. "Lucy, you'll be alright. Hang in there for me. I'll get you some help." He holds Lucy close to him as he carries her over to Levy's house quickly but carefully.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! I'm so sorry I haven't updated for like, a month. Things have been crazy at work and in my personal life. I did promise I'd finish this fic and I'm going to keep that promise. Only about 2 more chapters to go! I appreciate the support from everyone. Once this fic is finished I'll be on to my next one featuring the cast of Naruto!

Disclaimer: I do not, will not, and wish I could own Fairy Tail. But, alas, it'll never be true.

 **Chapter 17**

' _Lucy, please hold on!'_ Sting glances down at the unconscious blonde in his arms, rushing up the steps to Levy's house. Before he gets the chance to know, he hears a deep voice.

"Yo, Sting, what's going on?" His best friend Rogue walks up the steps. Before he can say anything else, he catches a glimpse of Lucy in Sting's arms. "Holy shit, Sting, what happened to Lucy?" Rogue slightly freaks out, shouting a little too loud,

Sting grips the blonde in his arms tighter to his body. "Her asshole of a father is what happened." He sneers through gritted teeth. "Now, if you don't mind, please knock on Levy's door so we can figure out some help!"

Rogue nods and bangs on the front door. A few seconds later, they hear footsteps and the unlocking of the door. Opening it, the bluenette peeks out before glaring at the two boys. "What the hell do you two want?" She spats out, not noticing the unconscious girl in Stings arms.

Sting shoulders his way through the front door, followed by an anxious Rogue.

"Hey! I didn't say you could come in!" Levy puts her hands on her hips. Her face turns from one of hatred to one of pure terror when Sting turns to face her.

"Lucy!" Levy squeals, running up to her unconscious friend in Stings arms. As an automatic reaction, Sting held the girl tighter, which made Levy look at him with a mix of uncertainty and confusion. "Just follow me to my room then. Quickly." Levy turns and swiftly bounds up the steps with Sting and Rogue in tow.

Once the group made it to Levy's room, Sting gently laid Lucy down on Levy's bed. Levy runs into the bathroom to grab some supplies to take care of Lucy. Once she's back to the bed, she glares at the two boys. "You two had better start talking. What the hell happened?!"

Not taking his eyes off the blonde in front of him, Sting explains. "Lucy and I talked at school today. Well, kind of. I tried to get her to listen to me but she wouldn't listen. So I grabbed her and took her to the janitor's closet so I could finally talk to her. I needed to explain everything…" Levy shoots Sting a glare but Sting ignores it and continues to talk. "But the bell rang before we could actually talk. So she told me to meet her at her house after school. I was so happy and excited to be able to finally talk to Lucy and for her to listen to me." Sting smiles, which made Levy's glare soften slightly. Only slightly. "When I arrived, I heard a loud noise and yelling coming from her house." Sting's face twists in anger, recalling the memories that happened next. "I was concerned, so I went inside. Her father was fucking BEATING HER!" Sting yells, fist banging on the wall, making Levy jump. Sting's voice grows quiet. "But you know what part really affected me the most? Lucy's dad went to hit me and she jumped in front of me to take the blow." Sting closes his eyes and clenches his fists, trying to hold back his tears. "After everything I've done to her, she still protected me. I didn't deserve any of it."

Levy just stares at him for a moment before speaking. "You know what that means, right? It means that she still loves you, Sting."

Sting lifts his head up and just stares back, hope flashing through his eyes.

"Which means you have a slight chance to make things right. This also means this is the LAST chance you will ever get. You CANNOT screw this up." Levy looks over at Rogue, making his heart jump slightly. "And how the hell do you fit into all of this?" She glares.

Rogue does his best to keep his emotions in check. "Sting called me on his way to your house. He sounded crazy worried so I came as fast as I could. So far the only thing I was able to do was try to calm him down and knock on your door."

Levy's face softens and nods, standing up. "I've got to call Wendy. There isn't much I can do with no medical skills."

Sting looks at her unsure.

"Don't worry, she's a good friend of ours and very skilled. She also knows the situation between Lucy and her father." Levy grabs her phone and exits the room.

There was a moment of silence, listening to Levy talk to Wendy in the hallway. Rogue stares out the door, watching.

Sting chuckles. "Just go talk to her, dude. You can't fix anything by just creepily staring at her."

Rogue glares at his friend before taking a breath and walking out into the hall where Levy just finished on the phone. Anxiety kicking in, Rogue walks up behind Levy as she hangs up the phone.

"So what did Wendy say?" Rogue asks quietly, making Levy Jump. "Sorry." He apologizes.

Levy takes a deep breath to calm herself. "She's on her way over now. We just got to keep an eye on her to make sure she's still breathing." She states coldly.

She starts heading back to her room. Before she could make it, Rogue grabs her arm. "Levy, please wait," Rogue pleads.

Levy just looks at him stoned-faced. "What do you want, Rogue?"

Rogue swallows the lump in his throat. "Can we talk for a second, please?"

Levy tilts her head. "What is there to talk about? I'm pretty sure everything that's been said is all there is to say." She tries to shake off Rogue's grip on her arm.

' _Come on Rogue; prove to her what you need to!'_ His face becomes serious as he pulls Levy in front of him and traps her between himself and the opposite wall.

"Levy, please. I need to talk to you." He looks her straight in the eyes, his face unreadable. The bluenette sighs and crosses her arms, waiting.

Rogue swallows the lump in his throat. "Levy, everything that happened between us… I'm so sorry. I wish I could take it all back." He tries to keep his tears at bay. "I don't know exactly why I did it. I was jealous of how smart you were. I was jealous that you and Lucy were so close that I couldn't get near you to talk to you. I thought that you wouldn't think I was good enough for you to be with. I was also angry that Sting was hurt when Lucy was spending more time with you than with him. He's like a brother to me. And then I saw how that Gajeel guy was around you..." Rogue's eyes became hard. "I couldn't take it anymore."

Levy gives him a look. "Lucy explained to both you and Sting about why she and I became close, so all of your reasoning is just plain stupid. You can't just torture me for half of high school and just expect me to look past it. It doesn't work like that."

Rogue's heart drops into his stomach. He is desperate to show Levy how he feels. He slams his fist against the wall, making Levy jump.

"I know! I know what I did was wrong! I've been kicking myself every day for all the shit I put you through!" Rogue looks up into her eyes, his eyes then migrating down to her lips. "I care about you more than you know…" He moves closer, his warm breath against her lips making her shiver.

"In fact, I'm in love with you." Before Levy could react, Rogues lips met hers.

Levy gasps when she feels Rogue's lips fall upon her own. The temptation to kiss back was great. Tears started falling as she reluctantly pushes him off her and before she could stop herself, she slaps the boy.

"You make my life hell for the past few years and expect me to just forgive you because of a kiss?! Do you know how long I've waited for you to do that?!" Levy shouts at him, her face red with anger and shock from the kiss. Before Rogue could react, Levy grabs his face between her hands and smashes her lips against his. Rogue stands there, his turn to be shocked. She pulls away before his could respond, standing on her tip toes to place her forehead against his.

"I haven't forgiven you yet. It's going to take a while. So, you better make this up to me. This is the last chance you're going to get." Levy explains quietly with her eyes closed, tears staining her red cheeks. Rogue looks at her, his heart flutters as he hugs her tightly.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! I know it's been awhile since I last updated. Things have got to shit in my life right now so I'm trying to hang in there… The only comfort I have is getting lost in my writing and anime watching. Everyone who lives in America, you also know other things going on (probably even people from other countries). Sooooo let's get lost in fanfiction and pretend like the real world doesn't suck, yaaaay!

Anyway, this is going to be my last chapter for this fic, I apologize if it seemed rushed. I was running out of thoughts by the end of this. But, I really appreciate all my followers. Thank you for sticking by me through my first fic, I had a lot of fun with it. Please check out my other ones as they happen! Especially if you're a Naruto, Soul Eater or Ouran High School Host Club fan, please give me a follow! :3 (I also take story requests.)

~YoseiCosplay

Chapter 18:

Sting watched Rogue follow Levy out of the room. He turned his attention back to the blonde on the bed beside him. Reaching a shaky hand out, he gently moves a strand of hair out of Lucy's face.

"Lucy, I'm so sorry all this is happening to you," Sting looks at her with pained eyes. "Out of everyone on this earth, you're the last person who deserves all of this."

Sting looks at the ceiling, trying to blink back his tears. Unbeknownst to him, Lucy's eyes twitch. She pretends to be unconscious longer to listen to what he had to say.

Sting looks back at Lucy, stroking her hair. "All of this is my fault. If only I didn't stop talking to you. If only I paid more attention to you. I would have known what was going on," He states quietly. "I regret everything I put you through. The bullying, the manipulation, everything that happened." Tears pooling in his eyes once again. "If only I never got involved with Minerva. She never would have gone through my computer and she never would have found that video." Sting looks down in shame. "Lucy, I've been in love with you for a while and I was too stupid to ever do anything about it."

"Yeah, you were pretty stupid." Sting's head shot up when he heard a small voice come from the bed. He sees Lucy's swollen eyes open and look at him. "But that never made me stop loving you."

Sting just stared at her dumbfounded, not knowing how to respond. He's been waiting for days for Lucy to say those words but never thought she would actually say them.

Lucy tilts her head and speaks in a raspy voice. "You okay, Sting?"

Sting looks at her with slight anger in his eyes. "You were the one beat almost to death and you're asking ME if I'M alright?"

The rise in his voice caused Lucy to shrink back away from him, making her hiss from the agonizing pain of her bruised body.

Sting's eyes soften and he reaches out to her to take her hand. "Hey, I'm sorry." He speaks in a soft voice. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. You're just too good of a person, even when someone as shitty as me treated you worse than anyone. I'm just as bad as your father."

Before Lucy could respond, her eyes grow wide as she starts groaning in pain. Her sounds of agony grow louder as she holds her stomach and starts trembling. Sting starts to panic.

"Levy! It's Lucy!" Sting yells as he grips her hand and tries to calm her down. Levy rushes into the room, followed by Rogue. Levy stands there staring at her best friend in obvious pain. She turns to Sting, fear evident in her eyes.

"What the hell happened?!" She demands.

"I don't know! She woke up fine and then all of a sudden, she's like this." Sting looks like he's on the verge of tears. "Where the hell is Wendy?!"

Levy shakes her head. "She should be here soon."

As the last word leaves her mouth, they hear the doorbell ring. Levy rushes down the stairs, Sting still trying to calm the pained girl down. The three hear the door open downstairs.

"WHERE'S LUCY?!" Sting and Rogue hear from downstairs. Sting freezes as he recognizes that voice. Footsteps echo up the stairs and then a familiar pink head bursts in.

"Lucy!" He yells, then he stops as he notices Sting move closer to Lucy, as if protecting her from the protecting her from the hyper active boy.

Natsu glares at Sting, his fists balled up. "What the hell are you doing here?" He says darkly, as the rest of his group emerges. Gray and Gajeel enter the room. Upon noticing Sting and Rogue, their reactions rival that of their friend.

Sting growls at the group but quickly turns back to Lucy as she lets out another grunt of pain.

"Get away from her, you bastard!" Natsu steps toward the two blondes but Lucy stops him.

"Natsu, it's alright. Leave him alone." She grunts out as another wave of pain hits her.

Natsu looks at Lucy with a mix of confusion and worry in his eyes. Gray and Gajeel glace and one another then glared at Sting and Rogue silently. Just then a small blue haired girl rushes past everyone and up to Lucy.

"What happened?!" asks the small girl, he assumes is Wendy.

Sting eyes her suspiciously before asking. "Aren't you a little young to be a medical professional?"

Wendy shoots the boy a look. "This is clearly NOT the time to be arguing with me. Now, I'll ask again. What. Happened?!" She retorts, rummaging through her medical bag.

Sting sighs and reluctantly retold what happened. As the story was told, gasps and other angry remarks are heard throughout the room. By this time, Wendy had bandages around Lucy's wounds, gave her some pain medication and attached a blood bag to her arm. Lucy has calmed down significantly, looking peaceful with her eyes closed. But Sting knows nothing in her head is peaceful.

As Sting finishes his story, everyone stayed silent. There is really nothing to say. Everyone had the same thought in their head; that Lucy needed to get out of that house for good.

Gray is the first to speak. "So what can we do now? We all know that she cannot stay in that house any longer."

"Where could she possible stay?" Gajeel looks to Levy.

Levy puts her hands up. "She is always welcome to stay here but her dad knows where I live ad I'd be afraid this would be the first place he'd look…" She whimpers, causing Rogue to put his arm around her waist, which earned a low growl from a certain pierced out. Although Levy didn't hear it, it didn't go unnoticed by Rogue who just shot him a glare.

Sting thinks for a moment. "Well why don't Rogue and I stay tonight till we figure out what to do tomorrow?" He suggests, Rogue nodding in agreement.

Before Levy could respond, the pink haired boy jumped in.

"Hell no! You'd be crazy to think we'd let the two of you idiots stay with the girls alone tonight!" Natsu shouts at Sting, making Gray and Gajeel nod in agreement, both having glares on their faces.

That caused Sting and Natsu to argue, then Rogue and Gajeel to get into it as well, while Gray just stands there with the most annoyed look on his face.

This goes on for a good minute or two before Wendy gets tired of it. She stands up quickly from the bed, turning to the bickering boys.

"Would you four cut it out?!" She yells at them, making the whole group except Levy stare in surprise. Who know such a small girl had such a temper. Wendy glares at them. "You all care about Lucy, I get that but you need to be QUIET so she can rest." The group stays quiet after that, trying to come up with a solution to make everyone happy.

Levy sighs and comes up with what seems like the only solution to both over testosterone induced males from killing each other.

"Why doesn't everyone sleep over then?" Everyone just stares at her like she lost her mind. Levy groans and elaborates. "Since you all can't seem to come up with a solution on what to do, let's all just sleep here. That was Wendy can monitor Lucy all night, and Lucy wants Sting to stay, which means Gray and Natsu won't leave, to keep an eye on him. And I want Rogue to stay, which means a certain metal head won't leave as well." She gives a side glance to Gajeel, who blushes but grumbles and looks away.

Everyone looked from Levy to each other and nods. Levy sighs with relief.

"But I want to stay with Lucy!" Both Sting and Natsu speak at the same time, making them glare at each other once again.

Levy face palms and breathed trying to not flip out on them. "I don't think either of you should stay in here. Wendy and I will." Both boys open their mouths to protest but instantly shut them when Wendy gave a look that could kill.

Levy gave Wendy a thankful look. "Now, the boys will sleep downstairs in the living room and Wendy and I will sleep up here with Lucy." She goes into her closet to pull out extra pillows and blankets for the boys and hands them to Rogue. He nods and heads downstairs, the boys following.

As soon as they leave the room, Levy sighs from exhaustion. She collapses on the bed next to Lucy and holds her hand. In turn, that made the blonde girl stir.

Levy jumped in surprise. "Oh I'm sorry, Lu. I didn't mean to wake you."

Lucy smiles weakly and gives the bluenette's hand a squeeze. "It's okay. I was on the verge of waking up anyway." She turns her head to the other side. "Wendy. Hey, I didn't think you'd be here so quickly."

Wendy gave her a thoughtful look. "Of course I'd be here for you, Lucy. You're my friend." She squeezed Lucy's other hand gently.

Lucy smiles and turns her head to Levy. "Levy… would it be weird if I asked Sting out? I mean, I know he made my life hell the past few years but I really believe he's changed…" Lucy coughs.

Levy gave her friend a smile. "No, I don't think it is. In fact, Rogue and I kissed…" Levy blushes uncontrollably.

Lucy and Wendy gave her a shocked look before smiling. "I'm glad you two are okay now. I know how you feel about him." Wendy says supporting. "However, if any of them so anything to hurt you again, I'll tell Mira."

All three girls shudder, knowing what the She-devil, they call her, is capable of.

* * *

Downstairs, the boys are laying in silence. All of them are thinking about everything that has been done and said. None of them really knew what to say, but Gray knew something needed to be said.

"So. You and Lucy talked, huh?" Every boy's head turned to look at Gray.

Sting speaks in a soft voice. "Yeah, we sorta did."

Natsu half glares at Sting. "And I assume you apologized for everything?"

Sting gives him a look. "Of course I did, hot head."

Natsu's glare turns harder but he tries to keep himself under control.

"I really love her, ya know," Sting says almost too quiet to hear. Natsu and Gray look at him in slight surprise, while Gajeel just grumbles.

"So why didn't you show it?" It was Sting's turn to look surprised. He didn't expect Natsu to ask him that question. "Why would you do all that shit to the poor girl if you 'love' her?"

Sting stays quiet for a moment. "I don't know, really. Cause I'm an idiot."

The group nods their heads in agreement. They stayed quiet for a bit longer before Natsu broke the second wave of silence.

"Well, no matter how I feel about the situation, Lucy cares about you. Not that I understand why." Sting shoots him a glare but he ignores it. "It's clear Lucy doesn't want you to go anywhere so I'll back off." He turns his eyes onto the blonde boy. "But I swear, if you do even one tiny thing to make her upset, you'll regret everything you live for."

He then turns his head to Sting's dark haired friend. "Same goes for you and Levy. Although, you'd have to deal with metal face over there if something happens." Rogue turns to look at Gajeel, who is smirking. He pales slightly but nods in understanding.

Before anything else could be said, they hear footsteps coming down the stairs. They all look over to see Levy looking down at them.

"Hey, uh. Sting, could you come up here for a moment please?" she turns to walk back up the stairs. Sting looks slightly surprised but nods to himself and follows the bluenette up the stairs.

He sees Levy standing outside the room with Wendy. "What's going on, is Lucy alright?" He asks, panic rising in his eyes. The girls look at each other and giggle slightly, making Sting cock his head in confusion.

"Yes, Lucy is fine. She's stable." Wendy smiles. Sting releases the breath he didn't realize he was holding. But then looks back at the girls, more confused than ever.

"So why am I up here?" He looks slightly nervous. Levy gives him a small smile.

"Lucy wanted to talk to you for a moment." Sting's eyebrows shot up. He knew Lucy and him were getting better but he didn't expect her to want to actively talk to him tonight, after everything that happened.

He nods and walks into the room where Lucy is and closes the door gently behind him. Sting walks to the bed and sits down next to the blonde girl on the bed. "Hey. You wanted to talk to me?"

Lucy opens her eyes and turns to face him. He notices that the color has returned to her face somewhat and her eyes seems a little brighter. He smiles upon noticing.

"Yes I do." Lucy slowly sits up in the bed. "Sting, um. I was wondering…" She fiddles with her fingers, not sure how to say it. "I u-um… I-I…"

Sting gently placed his hand on her fiddling fingers. "It's okay, Lucy. You can tell me anything." He gives her an encouraging smile.

Lucy nods and breathes deeply. Closing her eyes, blushing hard, she spits out, "Stingdoyouwanttogooutwithme?"

Sting blinks and then chuckles. "Luce, I can't understand what you're trying to say if you just blurt it out like that. Speak a little slower."

Lucy blushes harder and tries again. "Sting, do you want to go out with me…?" She looks down, not knowing how to look him in the eyes.

Sting sits there, his mouth open in pure shock. The last thing he ever expected was for Lucy to be the one to ask HIM out. "Y-you mean like-"

"I mean like boyfriend and girlfriend." She looks up at him, her entire face red, but she looks more confident. Sting just sits there, not moving. Lucy waves her hand in front of his face. "Earth to Sting. You still there?"

Before Lucy could say anything else, Sting lifts her up in his arms and crushes her into a tight hug, making her squeak. At first she didn't know how to react. But his arms were so warm and the hug was so filled with love, she sank into his lap and hugged him back.

"Lucy, I never thought I'd ever ear those words come out of your mouth." He pulls away slightly, letting her breathe. "God, you just made me the happiest man on earth." Sting gently caresses Lucy's cheek and brings his lips gently upon her own. She gasps a little but melts quickly into his soft lips. She's never been kissed like this before. All of Stings thoughts and feelings are shown through this kiss.

The kiss breaks after a minute, Lucy pulling away reluctantly, but out of breath. Her and Sting just stare at each other for a moment, breathing hard. Lucy smiles wide and places her forehead against his.

"Wow. I never thought I'd be able to kiss you…" Lucy giggles and laces her fingers in his.

Sting smiles and gives her a peck on the forehead. "I never thought so either." He notices Lucy's eyes becoming heavy. "You should probably try to sleep now, Love. We do have school tomorrow."

Lucy groans. "Please don't remind me. I don't want to go back there either."

He squeezes her hand. "But this time you have me. And I know it's not going to be easy, considering…" He gives her a side glance as she winces. "But I'll be there to clear any mess up. I promise."

She bites her lip. "What about my father? What if he comes looking for me?"

Sting chuckles. "Well, I knocked him out pretty good, so I doubt he'll be coming here tonight." His expression then grows dark. "And if he tries to come near you at all, he will regret for the rest of his miserable, pathetic life." He gives her a hug. "I know some people on the police force; I will talk to them tomorrow." She pulls away and gives him an unsure look. "I know it'll be really hard but this needs to happen. This needs to stop."

Lucy nods, knowing this was going to happen eventually. She knew she had to get out of there; it's been going on long enough. Sighing, she lays back onto the pillow. "I'm going to try to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." She smiles at him, her eyes closing.

Sting laughs quietly and kisses her cheek before heading out. Before he makes it out of the room, he hears Lucy speak in a tired voice; "I love you, Sting." He smiles wide and exits the room, closing the door behind him.

Outside the room, Levy and Wendy notice him leaving. "So, how'd it go?" Levy asks curiously.

"Well, I have a new girlfriend." Sting responds proudly. Levy nods, expecting as much.

She and Wendy go back into the room to head to sleep, while Sting makes his way downstairs. Most of the guys are asleep when he makes it back down, except Rogue.

"So, what happened?" He asks, wondering why his friend was gone so long.

Sting smile stupidly. "She asked me out. She really asked me out." He sighs dreamily.

Rogue chuckles, "It was only a matter of time. It was pretty obvious she still wanted to date you even though…" He drifts off, both knowing what he was thinking.

"It'll be good from here on out. I have no doubt that I'll make her happy." Sting yawns and settles down on one of the couches. "By the way, I'm pretty sure Lucy's father won't be showing up here tonight, considering I knocked his ass out pretty hard." He hears a snort coming from one of the guys to that comment as he drifts off to sleep.

* * *

'Awe, man, this doesn't seem like such a good idea…' Lucy stands next to Sting at the entrance of the school, hand in hand. The last thing she wants is for people to cause a problem seeing them like this. It's not that she's ashamed to be with Sting, far from it. She just doesn't want to be the center of attention anymore, it's been too much lately.

She looks next to her, Levy and Rogue in the same position. 'At least Levy is here with me. And we both have Sting and Rogue with us, so hopefully everything will be okay…' She gulps, her hand trembling.

Feeling this, Sting squeezes it gently. "Hey, everything will be okay. Don't worry, I'm here with you." Feeling a hand on her other shoulder, she looks behind her.

"Don't forget about us, Lucy." Gray gives her a smile.

"Yeah, we got your backs as well." Natsu give her his goofy grin. Next to him, Gajeel smirks and gives them a thumbs up.

"Thanks guys. I really appreciate it." She smiles at the group.

With a deep breath, the seven of them push open the doors of the school and walk through the entrance. Just like Lucy thought, all talking stopped and every eye was on the group of students. Noticing Sting and Lucy holding hands, everyone immediately buzzed with Not-so-nice gossip, especially from the girls.

"Sting-sama! Why didn't you pick me?"

"How could Sting be with that emo freak?"

"Wasn't Sting the one who always bullied her first?"

"How dare she steal Sting-sama away from me!"

Lucy takes a deep breath and squeezes Sting's hand tighter, not knowing how to handle what's going on. 'This couldn't possibly get any worse'

And with that thought, the one person Lucy was terrified of seeing popped up in view, along with Juvia and the rest of per posse.

"Sting! What are you doing with that freak of nature?" Minerva snarls at the couple, glaring at Lucy. Lucy takes a step back behind Sting, scared of what she could do.

"Back of, bitch. I've had it with the way you've been treating Lucy. I've had it with the way I've been treating Lucy. You and I are over. Done. Now beat it." Sting puts a protective arm around his girlfriend.

Minerva's eyes grow wide and dangerous. "How dare you-!"

"Minerva, that's enough!" A loud booming voice comes into play. The school immediately falls silent, noticing the principal walking towards the group. "I've had enough of your insolence. Leave the poor girl alone. In my office. NOW!" He turns around on his heel and heads back to the office.

Minerva turns back to the couple, completely red-faced. "This will not be the end, you hear me?!" She turns and stomps down the hallway to the principal's office.

The group then notices Juvia still standing there awkwardly. "Um, Lucy. Juvia would like to apologize…" She looks down, fiddling with her fingers. "Juvia was wrong to follow what anybody told Juvia to do. Juvia is very sorry and it won't ever happen again."

Lucy stands there in utter shock, not really knowing what to say. She just kind of nods and smiles only slightly. "Well, I appreciate the apology, Juvia. Hopefully we can possibly form some kind of friendship in the future."

Juvia brightens up with this information. She slowly approaches Lucy and whispers in her ear. "Juvia was wondering, could you introduce Juvia to Gray sometime? Juvia thinks he's really um… cute." She blushes hard. Lucy gives her a look and nods, not knowing if Gray could handle someone as crazy as her.

Just then, Yukino walks up to Levy and Rogue. "I'm so glad everything between you two is alright. I wanted to apologize to you too, Levy. I never really liked how you were treated because I always thought you were sweet. I just never had the guts to stand up for you. I know that's not any better." Yukon bows her head as Levy nods and accepts her apology.

Unfortunately, the whispers haven't stopped. Sting has heard enough. Being the crazy boy he is, he walks to the security's desk by the front of the school and stands up.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE, LISTEN UP!" He shouts at the hallway full of students. Everyone gets quiet, curious about what he has to say. "As many of you already know, I was the biggest jerk to Lucy all throughout high school. Well, that's changed. Honestly, I've always secretly loved Lucy; I just never had the guts to say anything. So you know what? Now I do. I'm now dating the most beautiful, nicest girl I have ever met. I'm going to prove to her that I have changed and I'll do everything in my power to make her the happiest girl on this earth." His expression turns dark. "So, if ANYONE has a problem with that, get over it. Or I'll help you get over it." He cracks his knuckles, causing the student body to get nervous, considering his track record with fighting.

Sting jumps down from the counter and embraces his girlfriend in a tight hug. "I'm not going to let anybody else hurt you, I promise you that." He kisses the top of her head. "And about your father, I'll be talking to the head of the police force today. You'll no longer have to worry about him."

Levy nods in agreement. "You'll be able to come live with me now without having to worry about your father coming to find you!" She squeals with happiness, hugging Rogue, who smiles.

Lucy nods and smiles into Sting's chest. She's never been this happy before. She can already tell, her future is the brightest she's ever seen it.


End file.
